…Seeks stakeholders’ rescue

Medical and dental consultants at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH) have called for urgent stakeholders intervention as they lamented non-functional equipment, degraded infrastructure, manpower shortages, and severe funding gaps, at the teaching hospital.

The consultants said the hospital is facing a severe decline from its former status as a World-Class Quaternary Health Centre,, to a facility struggling to deliver primary and secondary care, with tertiary services interrupted.

The teaching hospital which was commissioned in 2010 by former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, now grapples with non-functional equipment, degraded infrastructure, manpower shortages, and severe funding gaps.

The Guardian recalled that during the university’s 18th convocation, a fortnight ago, the Vice Chancellor of DELSU, Prof. Samuel Asagba, rued underfunding challenges at the institution, urging the Delta State government to address the funding challenges.

In a statement by Dr. E. Abolodje and Dr. I. A. Nwajei, Chairman and Secretary of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, DELSUTH chapter, respectively, they stated that the health crisis at the teaching hospital is massive, bordering on infrastructure and operations, high electricity bills, occasionally exceeding 50 million Naira, which they lamented are draining hospital revenue and forcing power rationing, including in administrative blocks.

“Water and sanitation challenges persist, with frequent sewage and wastewater overflow, resulting in offensive odors and heightened risk of epidemics. Basic clinical equipment is in short supply: sphygmomanometers, stethoscopes, diagnostic sets, weighing scales, thermometers, and X-ray equipment have been non-functional. When X-ray services are needed, patients often receive care outside the hospital due to lack of a functioning UPS.

“Wards, clinics, and offices suffer from non-functional air conditioning and many non-working fans, making patient care environments uncomfortable and inefficient. Staff frequently fund repairs themselves to keep essential services running.

“The theatre complex Is presently functioning below acceptable standards with poor lighting, inadequate instruments, malfunctioning equipment, and shortage of surgical materials”, MDCAN stated.

They stressed that
the hospital’s leadership has been marked by a protracted Ag. CMD succession, despite a duly conducted election for a substantive CMD more than three months ago, adding that the election result has long been forwarded to the Ministry, yet there has been no official comment or resolution of the issue of a substantive CMD.

According to MDCAN, a recent protest by host-community protest in front of the hospital highlighted community dissatisfaction with appointment slot allocations, underscoring governance and stakeholder relation gaps, hence the urgent need to address the issue of a substantive CMD.

MDCAN revealed further that DELSUTH is experiencing out-migration of Medical Consultants to other facilities like the National Orthopaedic Hospital Benin and Federal Medical Center Ovwian, in the wake of the National Salary Income and Wages Commission’s Revised Professional Allowances implemented in February 2026.

They emphasized that despite ongoing discussions between the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), hospital management, and the Ministry, engagement has been minimal, and critical issues remain unresolved, adding that critical staff in virtually all departments—Nursing, Pharmacy, Laboratory Sciences, and Resident physicians—are grossly inadequate.

MDCAN urged immediate attention to:
stabilize governance: Install and empower a substantive Chief Medical Director and a functional Board in line with the hospital’s establishing Acts to prevent recurring leadership-driven crises.

They demanded restoration of hospital operations by prioritising repair or replacement of essential equipment (X-ray, diagnostic tools, monitoring devices), ensure reliable power through a resilient UPS system, and address water, sanitation, and air-conditioning shortcomings.

They also seek uninterrupted tertiary services by providing surgical, diagnostic and therapeutic devices/equipment for specialties, and maintain DELSUTH as Delta State’s apex training institution for medical professionals, amongst others.

The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) issued an ultimatum for strike action if authorities failed to address the issues immediately,