By Raphael Okhiria
I am leaving the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), better and stronger than the way I met it, Prof. Darlington Obaseki, the outgoing Chief Medical Director of the hospital, has said.
Prof. Obaseki disclosed this on Thursday in his office in Benin City, when he played host to newsmen who had earlier gone on a guided tour of completed projects he executed during his eight years administration.
Prof. Obaseki, who assumed office in 2017, will officially conclude his tenure on August 17, 2025.
He disclosed that 90 per cent of the strategic goals set at the start of his administration had been successfully achieved, saying that industrial harmony is one of his greatest achievements.
According to him “our greatest achievement is that we never experienced a single day of workers’ strike in eight years.
The CMD attributed the industrial peace to mutual respect across staff levels, which helped sustain harmony within the institution.
“We have done a lot; I’m a proud man; I’m a fulfilled man; I am leaving UBTH much better than I met it eight years ago; I have no doubt in my mind,” he added.
The outgoing CMD, however revealed that that poor funding remains a major challenge for the UBTH, disclosing that Health Management Organisations (HMOs) currently owe the hospital over N500 million.
He further disclosed that the UBTH currently enjoys a 24-hour power supply and uninterrupted internet, powered by weather-resistant fibre optic technology.
Prof. Obaseki, highlighted the acquisition of three functional CT scanners, decentralised pharmacy services, and multiple payment points as part of the hospital’s transformation.
He disclosed that UBTH treats about 1,500 outpatients daily and over 300,000 patients annually, noting that the hospital handles about 70 emergency referrals from six states.
“Referrals come from Delta, Ondo, Bayelsa, Kogi, Lagos, and Abuja due to UBTH’s regional healthcare reputation,” he added.
Prof. Obaseki lamented bitterly that UBTH health workers are overstretched due to the collapse of primary healthcare systems in Edo State, saying that “I have done my part. I need rest. If called upon again, I will gladly contribute to healthcare development in the state”.
He however described the COVID-19 pandemic period as his most trying moment as the CMD of the hospital.
Prof. Obaseki said the majority of the UBTH health workers were afraid to treat patients but he and his management staff were on the ground to attend to their welfare needs.
“But I think the COVID-19 period was very hard. Covid was very hard. Very, very hard. A lot of you don’t want to know what we went through here. But you don’t want to know. Myself and my management team, first and foremost, what people didn’t get is apart from COVID-19, people were still dying of other diseases. A lot of our colleagues wanted us to close shop. A lot of people stopped coming to work. A lot of people went to hide.
“So we needed to be strong, we needed to be brave, we needed to be in the forefront. Every day I was in the COVID-19 ward. From the first day where everybody was hiding, everyday I was going to the molecular lab with my team. I never shied away because I knew that leadership is about signaling. The signal people take away from.
“Out of fear, some hospitals closed services, they stopped seeing patients. In fact, I want to dare to say that a lot of persons that died during COVID-19, did not die because of COVID-19. They died because of lack of care, because everybody was scared.
“When they had those that had diabetes, those that had other diseases, even trauma, the quality of care dropped to almost sub-zero. But we fought very hard. I was unpopular within the hospital because I fought very hard that no, we can never do this. We cannot close this hospital down. We cannot close any segment of it down. Some people wanted some segments to be closed. I refused”, Obaseki deposited.