Safe, secured environment, important to smooth running of health facilities – UCH CMD

Against the backdrop of security challenges in Nigeria, the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, says a safe and secured environment for patients, staff and visitors is important to smooth running of a hospital.

Prof. Jessse Otegbayo, the institution’s Chief Medical Director, made the assertion on Wednesday in Ibadan at the end of a two-day training workshop for its security personnel.

Otegbayo said that providing a safe and secured environment for patients, staff and visitors is important to the smooth running of a hospital.

He said that the training was a proactive measure against crisis and threat situations at the hospital.

“We decided that we should not wait till we have a bad or ugly incident before we wake up to our responsibilities.

“Like it happened in 2018, a member of the crown security staff was killed on UCH campus, it was an ugly incident; we do not want such to happen again,” the Chief medical director said.

Otegbayo said that scanners would also be fixed at the hospital’s main gates.

He assured the patients and staff members that CCTV cameras would be put at hot spots in the hospital, such as the mortuary, accident and emergency department.

Otegbayo urged the security men to ensure that the hospital benefited from the skills acquired during the training.

Meanwhile, the Fidelity Bank Plc, as part of its corporate social responsibility stance on Environment, Education and Health/Social Welfare, renovated 12 central toilets at the hospital.

Otegbayo, commenting said the renovated toilets would have great impact on patients and visitors to the hospital.

According to him, the gesture of the bank was worthy of emulation by the hospital’s other strategic partners, corporate bodies, and philanthropists, saying that government alone could not fund healthcare service.

“Hundreds of people visit this hospital on a daily basis; in fact, there are some areas you get to that the stench of urine will not let you breathe very well.

“So, now that there are decent toilets here, some of them will rather come over to use them than defacing the environment,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Adebayo Adeyinka, the bank’s Regional Bank Head, South-West I, said the renovated toilets, a staff-driven initiative, was to reinforce the bank’s strong, and healthy community relations with the hospital.

Adeyinka said, “We strive to play a leading role by identifying with and seeking solutions to the problems of the society, especially those in the immediate operational environment.”