From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
The Kogi State Specialist Hospital (KSSH) Lokoja, has debunked a publication on an alleged ‘negligence’ of service delivery for a client at the hospital.
A statement which was made available to Journalists in Lokoja yesterday by the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof Isah Adagiri Yahaya, said the publication in a section of the social media credited to one Chukwuemeka Mohammed, was misleading, malicious and unfounded.
According to him, Chukwuemeka Mohammed in his write up tried albeit fruitlessly all efforts to bring to disrepute the effective service delivery status achieved by the present management of KSSH and the Administration of Governor Yahaya Bello in the revolution of the Health Sector.
”It is an acknowledged fact that the Specialist Hospital Lokoja under the present administration has been repositioned in the areas of infrastructure, human resource, towards meeting emergencies at the hospital.
”It is important to state that KSSH is amongst Government agencies that has been given the leverage to opt out of the single treasury accounting system.
”All of this decisions are geared towards meeting patients’ emergency need and the restocking medicaments where and when necessary.
“Through Chukwuemeka’s social media post, several questions come to mind: was there any attempt for Chukwuemeka to complain to the department responsible for Insurance Management in the hospital?
”Was there any effort to draw the attention of the Matron on compound duty, the Hospital Publicity Director or the Medical Doctor in charge of the Accident and Emergency to any of the challenges you encountered?
”We will like to know the Clinical status of Chukwuemeka’s client before she was rushed to Specialist Hospital, and where she was referred from? Her HMO and who her Primary Provider is?
”Was any of the KSSH insurance Department staff contacted? Because we intend to be fair, balanced, scientific, objective and clinical about all his claims.
”Since the Establishment of Kogi State Specialist Hospital, can Chukwuemeka give us data showing that the hospital is a cemetery for burying dead people, His quote: ‘specialist hospital has turned a death trap’
”Let it be placed on record that the hospital has a 24hr policy of attending to emergencies without payment and accumulating a debt to the tune of N20,000 before the client’s relatives are contacted.
”We have several countless examples of person’s who are alive because of this EMERGENCY POLICY of the hospital, NHIS or NOT,” he said.
He added: ”we’re in a Civil Society and as such, there are civil ways of addressing concerns and complaints.
”With the manner and way this post was written, it seeks to: Undermine the management and staff of the Kogi State Specialist Hospital.
”There seem to be a clear motive behind this post which is geared towards portraying the Chief Medical Director in person of Prof Isah Yahaya Adagiri in very bad light without any due diligence to fact checking and balanced reportage.
”Deliberately painting the Government of his Excellency, Yahaya Adoiza Bello in bad light for no realistic reason before the good people of Kogi State and environs.
”Deliberately undermining all the time, resources and attention paid to the health care sector by his Excellency, intentionally Inciting Public Hate and stirring up Civil disobedience against the Hospital and Government of Kogi State.
”We wish to therefore say that Chukwuemeka’s post is designed and masterminded to sell a private hospital which is his entitlement, but we frown at his attempt to denigrate or cast aspersion on a government owned hospital without clear proof or facts.
”Chukwuemeka used the term ‘Negligence and lack of sympathy’
”We are looking forward to where he has repeatedly draw-out the attention of the hospital management to these claims and nothing was done about it BY the Medical Staff of the Accident and Emergency Department or any other Emergency Department within the hospital.?
“Considering the manner this post was made, we wish to remind Chukwuemeka that both the NHIS now NHIA and the Kogi State Specialist Hospital are Government owned and fully Established by law.
”Therefore, we will explore all necessary options to address both his claims on the social media space without recourse to due process within five working days.”