UMTH: Increase in hospital bed space and the views of Bystander

By:Balami Lazarus

Bystanders often are ignorant of the realities around them. So it is normal for such to assump as much as they could about happenings around them. It was of these classic examples that the saying ‘ignorance is a disease’ perhaps was coined to depict such classes of ignoramus in society. Of course, the social media platforms had afford some of these clowns to put on pages dramatic assumptions in their imaginations as pen pushers.

Let me educate my friends who recently are attacking the CMD University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital over the recent slight in the increments of bed space in the hospital. Most of those who are speaking ill of the administration did not know what is the cost of running a hospital like the UMTH and also did not care to know. If one thinks he is educated and also falls within these classes of people, then I think education has not played any role in shaping such people’s ability to think outside their immediate views.

Worst of all it is rather pitiable for one who thinks he has the ability to write yet writing on the prism of false imagination and dunking on hearsay rather than taking the challenges to investigate with the chest of asking critical question from managers of organizations, in this case the management of the UMTH on what informed the slight in increments of bed space.

I have decided to pick one out of the numerous online posts as my response to unkind assumptions by one Abubakar Hassan Sabo to reach others with wet- blankets. The recent slight and reasonable increment of bed per day in the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) by the Board of Management has not gone well with some persons within and outside the hospital who refused to see and accept the reality of our economic situation affecting every aspect of our social life including health institutions.

I felt moved when I met Professor Ahmed Ahidjo recently while he was explaining the situation and challenges of running the hospital against the meager resources. When I asked, he lamented: “You just met me discussing how to maintain and improve the consumption of our solar energy. Supposing the hospital is operating without any means of energy, don’t you think the attack and insults on my person could have been more than this? Well, the upward review was not done by me but by the Management of UMTH. My annoyance is how some people out there are heaping blames, insults, attacking and calling me names. People should learn to ask questions to understand the Why and How of things. However, as the Head you are always at the receiving end, good or bad”

His words drop like an arrow in the heart of a wandering man. I know exactly the pain surrounding the circumstance of his dilemma. Professor Ahmed Ahidjo has done what many before him could not do to the hospital and we can only pray to have someone like him after his second tenure. Those who knew UMTH before now will understand my point and I am privileged to know a lot about the hard way he had to follow to make this a reality.

For Abubakar Hassan Sabo, If he is writing from a distance I invite him to the UMTH to see and compare notes to what is obtainable in other Teaching hospitals. Hassan Abubakar Sabo capitalized his reason hiding under the cloak of the economy to say it is unacceptable. But his reasons are porous and full of red ink which cannot be used as a reference point. Another of his friends on this side of the road is one Abba Haroon Ibrahim Chichi. His write-up portrays anger and lack of professionalism in which case I think he was never writing to correct issues but rather trying to settle a score if any or being a blind assumer like his friends who never see beyond their nose for news.

It should be known to these cowards with pens that the decision to increase bed space at the UMTH was collectively taken by the members of the Management of the hospital having considered the difficulties faced by UMTH. The inability of UMTH to cater for some of the immediate needs in the cause of daily health- care service delivery in caring for human health should be of concern to all and embrace the decision taken so as to meet the health needs of the people.

Bed space in some of the cheapest hospitals – I mean teaching hospitals goes between #6000 and #7000. What UMTH did was with human face in a circular dated 8th July 2022 signed by Amina Mohammed Bello acting Director of Administration. The reads: “This is to inform the General Public that the hospital Board of Management has approved the upward review of the hospital bed per day. The increments for Adult #2000 per day and for Children #1000 per day”. I believe if compared to other Teaching Hospitals, this is nothing to write home about.

Balami is a Publisher/ Columnist 08036779290