Health
How the Department of Engineering Services is supporting Ahidjo’s vision to achieve growth leading to success in UMTH
How the Department of Engineering Services is supporting Ahidjo’s vision to achieve growth leading to success in UMTH
By: Balami Lazarus
With huge buildings and other engineering services ongoing at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), little is known to persons outside the hospital that a large Department of Engineering Services manned by certified professional engineers working with Professor Ahmed Ahidjo’s management team has been part of the success story of the largest hospital in Nigeria.
This department is responsible for the day-to-day engineering activities of
the hospital; physical development, building, civil, and general maintenance of the hospital. This collaborative move and sharing of responsibility between the management team and the department of engineering services has saved UMTH a lot of money, thereby keeping all services ongoing at the pace of plans being executed by the management, bringing about changes on a daily basis that are not only the pride of Borno State, the northeast, but Nigeria as a whole.
Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo
Most people tend to limit engineering work and services to building and civil projects that are located in these areas. However, NEWSng recently took a tour of the engineering department to assess its input in the dramatic changes taking place in the hospital beyond the surface of the building where this department is standing. During the tour, it was discovered that beyond works, the department of engineering at the UMTH stood tall in the idea generation for the beautiful architectural output visible to visitors, who continuously admire the efforts being put in by the Professor Ahidjo management team to give the hospital the desired outcome for better services in the technicality of managing such a big health institution in Nigeria.
Working beyond work services, the engineering services of UMTH focus on re-engineering the staff capacity to dream big in fashioning its activities through services and maintenance. This makes it one of the essential services departments in the non-clinical section of the hospital, playing the role of physical and health engineering in this hospital system. While digging further to know more about the department, NEWSng learned more about health engineering services and why they are necessary in hospital settings such as those seen in the UMTH.
While earlier considering the management of sanitary and evacuation of waste in the hospital, the visits opened a chapter on understanding what engineering services also stand for in it’s concerns with sanitary and evacuation of liquid and solid waste in the hospital to make for a healthy atmosphere and environment of the hospital, which is carried out by the Department of Engineering Services as part of their responsibilities.
Engineer Modu Ali Gana, who heads the Engineering Department, revealed during a chat with NEWSng that his department not only ends their work on building and engineering projects. According to him, “We are also into maintenance and services, which is why we are the Department of Engineering Services. We are also into the technical matters of the hospital because we have personnel who are qualified and experienced for such work. And here we speak engineering and technical language.”.
Engineer Modu added that both engineering and technical work are capital projects and are properly handled by professional and experienced men in the department.
NEWSng also understands that there is no doubt about what Engr. Gana said regarding the role of the department in adding value to the hospital considering the various projects undertaken by the department of engineering services in terms of road construction, supervision, and maintenance of capital projects, including the total evacuation of liquid and solid waste.
“Hospitals of this size have several minor sewages that flow daily into the central swage of liquid waste. This is a daily affair. If my department is not involved in the evacuation of this waste and the draining of the sewage, you and I cannot stay here and discuss comfortably. In fact, the hospital should have become a pigsty.”. He explained. “Hospitals are known to be one of the cleanest structures in the health care sector, and UMTH can boast of being one of the cleanest hospitals in Nigeria.” He said
During the visit, NEWSng came across some large incinerators where solid waste is disposed of. This was further explained by the head of the engineering department, Engr. Modu Gana, who said, “Disposal and evacuation of waste are not limited to the vicinity of the hospital, but staff residents, medical students, and school of nursing hostels and offices are not left out. You can see that we are everywhere and need to create a pleasant environment, and we are doing our best to create a healthy environment both for our patients, staff, and visitors to the hospital.”
Another area of interest for the department is the road. There is a good, accessible road network within this renowned hospital, which was constructed by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing Abuja (FMW&H) and maintained by the department of engineering services. It takes serious lobbying by the management team to have these road networks in place. Also, NEWSng learned that some of the newly constructed roads, about 1.6 km, were named after personalities like Mohammad Bukar, Jibril Aminu, Babatunde Raji Fashola, and Babangida Husseini for their various contributions and support to the UMTH.
Considering the growth, progress, and successes achieved through the department of engineering services, one can clearly see the pulses in Professor Ahmed Ahidjo’s vision. Indeed, this is why Engr. Modu Gana said with affirmation that. “Our achievements are numerous. We supervised all the completed projects in the hospital, including the Cancer Center, the Radiology Intervention Project, and the Child Institute Center, among others. There are some ongoing projects that my department is supervising at present. We are the lifewire of structural, mechanical, electrical, and electronics, civil engineering structures, and technical services.”
While growth leads to success, the challenges faced by this department are equally the major challenge of the hospital: the issue of power. The need for power is essential in order to maintain facilities, machines, and tools that aid in the running of the department of engineering services and the entire hospital. Therefore, there are urgent calls on the government and spirited individuals to support the hospital and overcome the challenge of power supply to the hospital.
How the Department of Engineering Services is supporting Ahidjo’s vision to achieve growth leading to success in UMTH
World Kedney Day: CMD Extols Borno Govt for Supporting UMTH’s Kedney Centre
By: Babagana Wakil
The Chief Medical Director of the University of Maiduguri teaching hospital, Professor Ahmed Ahidjo has reiterated the hospital’s commitment to the treatment of Kidney and other related diseases.
The hospital boss , made the disclosure yesterday while addressing members of the hospital Kidney Center as part of activities to mark the year 2024 World Kidney Day.
According to the Chief Executive, the hospital has remained a reference point among hospitals attending to such cases in Nigeria, while emphasizing that the role of the Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum can not be overemphasized.
According to him, the state government have been responsive and committed to activities related to kidney research and development, part of which recently, the government kickstarted the process that targeted about 50 million Naira to fund and assist research process in the Centre.
He admonished members of the Kidney unit to continously demonstrate high sense of professionalism and expertise when dealing with patients while emphasizing that in UMTH, patients remains the king.
On his part, the Director of the Kidney Centre, Professor Ibrahim Ummate, called on the general public to prioritize their health, as he noted that kidney disease is fast growing
According to him, about 18 percent of Borno population is presumed to be suffering from Kidney disease, while advising that people should endeavor to always drink water, eat healthy, exercise and always go for checkup of atleast 3 to 6 months intervals.
World Kedney Day: CMD Extols Borno Govt for Supporting UMTH’s Kedney Centre
US, in 2023 Commits $600 million to Health in Nigeria
By: Michael Mike
The United States has committed $20 billion into various health programmes in Africa, it said on Wednesday.
A released by the United States Embassy in Nigeria also revealed that: “In 2023 alone, the United States invested over $600 million in health assistance in Nigeria,” with U.S. partnerships on health in Nigeria saving millions of lives, strengthened health systems, and better prepared Nigeria and the region for current and future health security threats.
The release stated that: “The following are the facts about U.S. government partnership with Nigeria for health now and in the future: Preventing Malaria: Malaria threatens more than half the world’s population and claims the life of a child every minute, and the United States, together with our global partners, has helped save more than 11.7 million lives and prevented 2 billion malaria infections globally.
“Malaria is a leading cause of death in Nigeria, but malaria deaths in Nigeria have fallen by 55 percent since 2000. To advance Nigeria’s national. strategy to counter malaria, since 2011, the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) has taken steps to prevent illness and death by providing: Nearly 83 million insecticide-treated bed nets; 22 million malaria preventive treatments in pregnancy; 164 million fast acting malaria medicines; Insecticide to spray 121,000 homes; Over 102 million rapid diagnostic tests for malaria.
“Ending HIV: About 39 million people live with HIV globally, including an estimated 2 million in Nigeria. The United States and Nigeria are focused on ending HIV as a public health threat by 2030. The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has expanded HIV treatment and reduced HIV transmissions, saving more than 25 million lives in more than 50 partner countries over the past two decades and giving over 1.6 million Nigerians access to antiretroviral therapy. In Nigeria, PEPFAR has invested a total of more than $8.3 billion in the national HIV response.
“In 2023, PEPFAR resources supported:
Over 12 million people with HIV counseling and testing services; More than 2 million pregnant women with HIV counseling and testing services to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV; More than 1.8 million people living with HIV with TB/HIV services; More than 1.5 million orphans and vulnerable children with care and
support services
“Delivering Vaccines: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States helped Nigeria vaccinate 70 percent of its eligible populations. The U.S. government supports Nigeria to control, eliminate, and eradicate other vaccine-preventable diseases as well. Through technical expertise and programmatic support, the United States collaborates with international and local partners to strengthen immunization systems and expand routine vaccine delivery.
“In the course of these efforts, the U.S. government has: Donated 44 million doses of COVID vaccine; Supported vaccination of 2,145,063 children for polio in security-compromised areas, helping Nigeria become certified free of wild poliovirus in 2020; Supported introduction of four new vaccines for children, including
rotavirus, IPV2, measles, and HPV.
“Advancing Global Health Security: The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as Ebola, mpox, and other outbreaks in the country and region, has shown the devastating impacts of infectious disease on health, economies, and societies. Together, the United States and Nigeria are working to strengthen health security capacities. Several U.S. government agencies partner with the Nigerian government to prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from emerging public health threats. Through these collaborations, we are protecting the health of Nigerians, Americans, and people across the globe. Key activities in Nigeria include: Establishing a Public Health Emergency Management Program that has trained 55 national and subnational emergency managers who have responded to seven priority outbreaks; Enhancing Nigeria’s national disease surveillance systems, by training more than 800 epidemiologists and scientists to promote global best practices; Developing Nigeria’s laboratory diagnostics to test for Ebola, mpox, yellow fever, measles, Lassa fever, cholera, and cerebrospinal meningitis, thus strengthening Nigeria’s ability to quickly detect and respond to outbreaks.”
US, in 2023 Commits $600 million to Health in Nigeria
Lassa Fever: FG Launches National Deratisation Exercise
By: Michael Mike
The Hon Minister of State for Environment Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako has launched the National Deratization framework exercise to prevent and control the spread of Lassa fever in the Country.
The Minister who was respresented by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Mahmud Kambari while briefing the Press in Abuja stated that ‘I stand to provide an update on the recent outbreak of Lassa Fever reported by 44 Army Referral Hospital in Kaduna State and subsequent spread of the disease in the state ‘.
He said the meeting with the State Emergency Response Team (SERT), has provided the etiological pattern of the disease. 12 suspected cases was recorded with 6 mortality, 2 additional cases originated from another facility in Barau Dikko Hospital , while 92 persons are under surveillance as contact person, adding that the team has visited the affected facility (44 Army Referral Hospital) on 25th of February 2024 which gathered information as follows:
The general hygiene and cleanliness of the hospital was assessed as well as measures put in place to prevent the spread of the disease through disinfection and decontamination were both deemed effective and found adequate.
The team further confirmed the efficacy of the treatment by using an ITP machine and use of sodium hydrochloride in correct proportion and formulation to ensure safety of the facility.
The team recommended that the facility be deratized to reduce the population of the disease carrying vector, specifically rats.
He noted that our’s in the Environment Sector is to provide solution, make the environment safe and unconducive for the vector to grow because it is responsible for the disease.
The Registrar, Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON), Dr. Yakubu Baba Muhammad reiterated that the Minister’s directives on all the facilities whether public or private should undergo derating exercise for examples hotels, markets, restaurants and recreation centres after which they will be issued Derating Exemption Certificate by EHCON.
Dr. Yakubu disclosed that the ministry has directed the Council to embark on massive capacity building to update the knowledge of the practioners on the new innovations, new approaches to control and address the disease.
He added that component of health education, promotion and creation of awareness in the communities also plays an important role.
“At the community level, the issue of waste management cannot be over emphasized. At this time and period, reminant food should not be exposed while our food stuff and stores should be rats proof. In the character of rats once there is no food, rats vacates the house”. He added
He further emphasized that another approach to combat the spread of this disease is by getting to the grassroot, its a collective responsibility as government is doing their job, citizens should do their parts.
He also said farmers using roads for drying farm products should be discouraged from doing so because this gives rats to come and urinate, defecate; passing feaces that contains the virus that causes disease and contamination of the food.
Yakubu warned that our communities should reduce or stop taking bush meat, saying is not healthy for now because the virus has residual effect even after the death of the animal.
Lassa Fever: FG Launches National Deratisation Exercise
Suspected Repentant B’Haram Insurgents Burn NDLEA, NCS Checkpoints In Borno
FG Condemns Stabbing of 14 Years Old Nigerian Student in East London
Vice Principal leads AI training for teachers in Northern Cross River
Roger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
EYN: Rev. Billi, Distortion of History, and The Living Tamarind Tree
A History of Biu” (2015) and The Lingering Bura-Pabir Question (1)
-
News2 months agoRoger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
-
News1 month agoEYN: Rev. Billi, Distortion of History, and The Living Tamarind Tree
-
ACADEMICS2 months agoA History of Biu” (2015) and The Lingering Bura-Pabir Question (1)
-
Columns2 months agoArmy University Biu: There is certain interest, but certainly not from Borno.
-
Opinions2 years agoTHE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
-
Opinions3 months agoTinubu,Shettima: The epidemic of economic, insecurity in Nigeria
-
Opinions1 month agoUMTH:…and the testimonies of patients and patient relations
-
National News2 months agoFraud and Mismanagement Rock INGO’s IDP Cash Assistance Effort in Bama
