Chief Medical Director Assured Of Move To Permanent Site Soon
The management of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, Anambra state, says its medical services would soon kick-off at its permanent site to decongest the temporary site.
NAUTH’s Chief Medical Director, Professor Anthony Igwegbe, who made the disclosure on Wednesday in Nnewi said the hospital had outgrown its temporary site in terms of manpower and services it provided.
Igwegbe said construction work was ongoing at the permanent site located between Nnewi and Oraifite communities. He expressed optimism that very soon, partial movement would commence and some clinics would be relocated to the new site, including the outpatient department.
He told our this paper that when the movement begins, the inpatients would remain at the temporary site until there are enough buildings and facilities that could accommodate them.
“This is the first phase of our movement that we hope to accomplish soon. We can’t move everybody at the same time. We have been doing something to move, though slowly, because of funds. It has been progressive over the years. We have begun to see the end of the tunnel,” he said.
On the allegations that the hospital has many trapped indigent patients, Professor Igwegbe said the hospital had no policy of seizing anybody for inability to pay bills. He explained that there were some patients, who delayed in payment that might be given some periods of grace to pay their bills. He noted that it did not amount to seizing anybody for inability to pay.
He said that some philanthropists occasionally stormed the hospital mainly, during festivities, to pay hospital bills for indigent patients.
“We do not trap anybody. We offer services to our patients and they are expected to pay thereafter. We use our facilities, drugs, expertise and materials. At the end of the day, patients are expected to pay, so that we can replenish those things to treat others.
Sometimes, we have patients, who are very indigent and we write off their bills. But that is a great loss to the hospital, because, it affects our finances and running of the hospital. When you don’t replace your consumables, you run out of stock,” the CMD concluded.
The management of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, Anambra state, says its medical services would soon kick-off at its permanent site to decongest the temporary site.
NAUTH’s Chief Medical Director, Professor Anthony Igwegbe, who made the disclosure on Wednesday in Nnewi said the hospital had outgrown its temporary site in terms of manpower and services it provided.
Igwegbe said construction work was ongoing at the permanent site located between Nnewi and Oraifite communities. He expressed optimism that very soon, partial movement would commence and some clinics would be relocated to the new site, including the outpatient department.
He told our this paper that when the movement begins, the inpatients would remain at the temporary site until there are enough buildings and facilities that could accommodate them.
“This is the first phase of our movement that we hope to accomplish soon. We can’t move everybody at the same time. We have been doing something to move, though slowly, because of funds. It has been progressive over the years. We have begun to see the end of the tunnel,” he said.
On the allegations that the hospital has many trapped indigent patients, Professor Igwegbe said the hospital had no policy of seizing anybody for inability to pay bills. He explained that there were some patients, who delayed in payment that might be given some periods of grace to pay their bills. He noted that it did not amount to seizing anybody for inability to pay.
He said that some philanthropists occasionally stormed the hospital mainly, during festivities, to pay hospital bills for indigent patients.
“We do not trap anybody. We offer services to our patients and they are expected to pay thereafter. We use our facilities, drugs, expertise and materials. At the end of the day, patients are expected to pay, so that we can replenish those things to treat others.
Sometimes, we have patients, who are very indigent and we write off their bills. But that is a great loss to the hospital, because, it affects our finances and running of the hospital. When you don’t replace your consumables, you run out of stock,” the CMD concluded.