Enofe: Improve Students’ Living Condition And Reduce

If Cultism, drug abuse, prostitution and other forms of violence must be reduced in the nations higher institutions, then universities administrators must improve the standard of living of students on campus.

Dr. Comfort Enofe, Director of Health Centre, University of Benin (UNIBEN) made this call last Friday in her office while receiving campus journalist of the school on a courtesy visit.

She said: “If a student that grew up in a slum like Ajegunle in Lagos with bad habits like smoking is put in a comfortable hostel accommodation and learning environment, he will be challenged and will drop his/her bad habits because the present environment dos not support it. With that, the incidence of vices on campus will reduce.”

Dr. Enofe used the opportunity to enlighten the students on the latest development at the heath centre. She disclosed that the university management has commissioned a new operating theatre in the health centre to carry out surgeries.

She added that the new theatres would enable the school to conserve fund by carrying out minor surgical cases instead of referring them to the UNIBEN Teaching Hospital (UBTH).

She revealed that the school’s health centre could now undertake surgeries like appendectomy, heirnaorrhapy, hydroceletomy, fibroid, circumcision and others.

With this development, the university health centre is upgrading from being on the primary level of health care to secondary level, she said.

Enofe stated that the university management has been much interested with the development at the health centre and has ensured that there is upgrading.
Aside the operating theatre, Dr. Enofe stated that the X-ray machines at the centre, which has been moribund for a long time, are now functional. She added that students and staff can now book appointment with doctors on 24-hour basis.

“Years back, students come here, sit on the bench and wait to see doctors. Many of them miss lectures for the day, as a result of the long wait. With this system in place, students can call and book appointment at their convenient time. Immediately they come, their case file is taken to the doctor and they see him and leave.

Asked if the ongoing strike by Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) is affecting activities at the health centre, she stated that work is going on there as usual and only a small fraction of the workers are members of SSANU.

“There has never been a time where we shut down activities because one union is on strike. Even our doctors have never partaken in any of the doctor’s strike and same applies with the nurses. This is a health centre and health of our students and staff is paramount. The chairman of SSANU came to my office to inform me about the strike. We discussed at length and the resolution was that their members would provide skeletal services. But the health centre is running normally.

On the outbreak of Lassa fever, she called on students to keep their environment clean and also to always cover their foodstuff. She also called on them to report to the health centre early enough, any symptom of ill health as that will go a long way in helping them with treatment.

“When you get into a new place, don’t just let things be done the way it had been years back; you have to introduce some changes. With these latest developments here, we are putting UNIBEN health centre ahead of others in the country” she said.