The management of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital has halted admission of fresh patients into the hospital because of the fear of disease outbreak following the flooding incident that ravaged the metropolis this week.
Recall that hundreds of residents were trapped as a devastating flood hit Maiduguri and other surrounding communities early on Tuesday.
Some residents who spoke to media on Tuesday morning confirmed that the widespread flooding had submerged several houses, major roads, and official buildings including the Emir’s palace and the teaching hospital.
The Chief Medical Director lamented that many expensive machines in the facility were submerged by the flood.
Revealing the impact of the flood on the hospital Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, said the facility was highly impacted by the disaster.
The Chief Medical Director lamented that many expensive machines in the facility were submerged by the flood.
He said, “It will be very difficult to categorically state the extent of the damage but I have been in this hospital for the last 35 years and I have never seen something like this.
“Virtually the hospital is the largest in the whole of West Africa with about 1,300 bed capacity and the whole of the group floor and the whole of the centres, we have about 14 specialised centres of excellence. They were all flooded. And some of the machines, they are very expensive, you know in the medical field.
“The cancer machines are truly expensive. The radiologic department is very expensive. The laboratories are very expensive. The kidney centre machines are very expensive. All these machines are submerged in water.”
He said these developments made the hospital management to take the hard decision to stop admitting new patients to avoid the risk of disease outbreaks.
He continued: “For now we only carry emergency operations, we have suspended admission because of fear of contamination.
“We fear that patients may get to the hospital and get infections and other forms of the disease because the whole of sewage of the hospital is flooded. And also, the cancer centre, we are not sure of nuclear contamination. So it is difficult for us to handle new patients now, we are just managing.
“The patients on admission, we have to give them basic support, we have to move all of them in, upstairs. And another challenge that we have is that the oxygen plant of the hospital is also flooded.
“If an emergency comes in, it may be very difficult. And the electricity supply, we have to off it (put it off). And water supply cannot be obtained without electricity.”