Patients, both male and female, in the Lapai General Hospital are currently sharing the female ward of the hospital due to lack of facilities and manpower in the health centre.
During a visit to the hospital, ASHENEWS discovered that both female and male patients were being combined in the female ward. One of the Staff who spoke to our reporter and pleaded anonymity disclosed that the male ward is being locked down for a while and would not be used until it is renovated.
Some of the patients admitted to the hospital lamented over the lack of electricity in the hospital as they stated that at night, they were unable to move around the hospital because everywhere would be dark.
One of the patients, who gave his name as Suleiman, said, “My people who come here to take care of me usually come with torchlight because once it is 8 pm, everywhere becomes very dark. The staff in the hospital do not have the money to buy fuel to power the generator, so we stay that way.”
The patients call on the government to, as a matter of urgency, come to the aid of the hospital by bringing in amenities that would improve the health of the people. They said the provision of solar panels would be a good alternative when there is no electricity power supply.
The management of the hospital refused to speak with our reporter, but some staff who agreed to speak pleaded that their names should not be mentioned to avoid backlash from their superior.
The staff disclosed that the male ward was closed up because there were not enough hospital staff who would attend to the patients. They said that there are only 18 staff in the hospital, and the work is too much for them to operate in the whole hospital.
“We are just 18 and we cannot operate the whole hospital alone because the work is too much for us. The local government and some non-governmental organizations are the ones assisting the hospital in providing some casual staff”, one of the staff said.
For the inadequate electricity, another staff said that the solar system donated by MTN Nigeria some years ago is no longer functional, and the area where the hospital is located does not have electricity often.
“Yes, the hospital is always dark at night, and it is because the solar system that was donated by MTN Nigeria a long time ago is weak and can no longer light up the hospital. We are pleading with the government to, as a matter of urgency, come to the aid of the hospital and assist us with the needed amenities. There is also the need for more staff.”
