JUTH: Patients, Bills, Referrals And ‘Crimes’   

JUTH: Patients, Bills, Referrals And ‘Crimes’   

By: Balami Lazarus     

When I recently travelled to Jos to do an investigation on Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) for my firm- News Net Global Limited- an Online NEWS platform based in Abuja. What I found out was disturbing, disappointing and questionable like “A Walk in the Night” by Alex La Gtma, a novel of brutality and wickedness of racist apartheid regime in South African before 1994.     

I partly grew up and schooled in Jos. I have school mates, good friends and acquaintances working various places including JUTH. This will make this piece interesting I suppose.     Jos University Teaching Hospital is one among the federal teaching hospitals in the North Central geo- political zone, with 6861 number of doctors, 26 training institutions with 1612 Resident medical doctors the highest in the entire north put the figures together.

“The situation is the worst in the Northeast for the total number of doctors and Residents,” said Professor Ahmed Ahidjo, an expert in Interventional Radiology/ Hospital Administrator, 2021.     

Teaching hospital is where patients are expected to have the best treatment and medical care. And you also serve as specimen for teaching and research purposes going by their names as it implies because they are institutional medical establishments meant for such.     

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The case of JUTH is that of patients, bills, referrals and corruption. The moment you step in there as a patient you begin to experience medical / administrative misdoings such as: favouritism, outrageous charges and referral to either their hospital or where they are on retainership.

These are the characteristics of JUTH as themes. “Worsen by its former Chief Medical Director (CMD) Professor Edmund Banwat during his Pharaonic tenure that saw no development but decline in medical services, facilities plus corruption” said a Senior Officer, who did not wish to have his name in print.

More findings revealed that there was celebration of happiness by members of staff because of his poor performance in administration and human relations. I am not downplaying the importance of Jos University Teaching Hospital ( JUTH) as an institution, but I am looking at the people involved, the ‘crimes’ and obsolete medical equipment including structural decay at the detriment of patients who are at the receiving end left at the mercy of their pockets.

This is the stage of JUTH. I sincerely believe that Dr. Pokop Butwada who is more of a medical administrator than a scholar will give the hospital a lease of life and turn- around in all phases where patients, staff, Medical researchers, students and the public will be proud to associate with.   

Balami, a Publisher/ Columnist    0803677920

JUTH: Patients, Bills, Referrals And ‘Crimes’