Visitors to Federal Medical Centre FMC, Owerri, Imo State, last week drew the attention of TRUMPETA Newspaper to the poor environment in the institution, following the hardship faced by workers and patients due to lack of water in the Hospital.
Following this alert, this Newspaper sent its roving Reporters to the Institution to get a first hand information on the real situation on ground.
Unfortunately, the reports that got to our Newsroom was not palatable at all, as it was revealed that the revered Hospital stinks following lack of water shortage that has left the place inhabitable.
According to our Reporters, some patients and those looking after them were caring empty Jery Cans and buckets looking for water, which was an ugly sight.
This lack of water affected the hospital wards, as visitors to the institution lamented openly over the ugly situation.
Most of the toilets in the Wards were not clean due to lack of water, which led visitors to make contacts to this medium.
On equiry, it was learnt that poor electricity supply led to shortage of water, as the functioning boreholes could not be powered to pump water into the over-head tanks.
A visitor who spoke to TRUMPETA said that she was shocked that an Institution like FMC Owerri, could function without water, pointing out that no hospital in the world can exist without water.
Further investigation unveiled that one of the reasons the toilet stinks was that some of the cleaners were owed allowances and salaries which led some of them to boycott work.
A Medical Doctor who spoke to our Reporter under strictly anonymity disclosed that the water issue was for that week but assured that the situation would be corrected from Monday.
Attempts to speak to a Management Officer was not possible as none was ready to speak at the mention of “PRESS”.
But a cleaner told TRUMPETA that the situation was never like that until they were owed, which led most of them to abandon their jobs.
On the issue of water shortage, she said “When NEPA take light and the Generator is not put on to pump water, patients go elsewhere to look for water”.
However, a Nurse who volunteered information without mentioning her name told TRUMPETA that the Institution is one of the best in Nigeria, with best equipment you can find anywhere adding that you need huge sums to run FMC Owerri because of the challenges facing the institution, adding that if there was shortage of water, it was just for a few hours, which has since been corrected.
