Flood: What we lost, how Nigerians can help us

Borno State is affected by certainly one of its worst floods in three many years, with huge areas of farmland, infrastructure, and a whole bunch of properties partly or wholly destroyed.

A minimum of 30 folks have died from the catastrophe, in keeping with authorities figures. Nevertheless, residents stated that quantity is larger as some deaths weren’t documented.

The devastating flood has additionally displaced greater than 400,000 folks. Residents search shelter in public faculties and uncompleted buildings below dire human situations.

The flooding in Maiduguri was triggered by the collapse of the Alau Dam, the town’s most important water supply. Homes have been swept away to the final brick within the Gwange and Gamboru areas of the state. The water has receded, however federal and state authorities are nonetheless scrambling to rescue folks, and typically our bodies, trapped in buildings.

One of many worst-hit infrastructures is the College of Maiduguri Educating Hospital (UMTH). The power sustained important water injury and was pressured to droop its operations for 2 weeks.

Though the hospital’s administration stated it might resume some companies on Monday (yesterday), the standing of some hospital gear has but to be ascertained.

On this interview with PREMIUM TIMES reporters, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Ahmad Ahidjo, stated the ability wants pressing assist to renew working at optimum capability. He additionally offers perception into their rescue efforts when the flooding occurred.

Excerpts:

PT: We sympathise with you and the college neighborhood concerning the flood catastrophe that occurred some days in the past. Authorities stated the response has been very spectacular. Your colleagues – the committee of CMDs – additionally counseled your management and your efforts.

Are you able to describe the influence of the flood in your hospital?

Ahidjo: Nicely, it’s disastrous. The entire of the hospital was flooded. So, nearly the whole lot that we had on the bottom flooring was affected, and (the) sufferers, we needed to transfer them upstairs. The employees additionally discover it troublesome to return to work due to the crossing throughout the city at the moment. It was troublesome to maneuver round throughout that interval.

All of the medication we’ve got vanished. The consumables and the fundamental examination instruments have been all affected. All our gear was affected too.

The loss is big however we are attempting a lot. As you may see the within of the hospital, we’ve got cleaned, and we’re fumigating and assessing the extent of injury (the extent of injury to the gear). As soon as we do this, we are going to restore electrical energy, and as soon as it’s restored, we are able to begin actions.

PT: Did you report casualties when the occasion occurred and after?

Ahidjo: No, not within the hospital.

PT: How did the hospital administration reply to the catastrophe?

Ahidjo: (We) all of us collectively, all of the employees, we moved the sufferers upstairs, particularly the orthopaedic, the labour rooms, and the malnourished youngsters on the Al-Iman centre, we have been in a position to rescue all of them.

They have been moved upstairs whereas sufferers who have been in steady situation have been discharged. We suspended admission; somewhat, they’ll come again when the hospital is extra steady.

PT: Is there any time in view you assume the hospital will resume operation once more?

Ahidjo: The vary of companies could be very massive. As you already know, the College of Maiduguri Educating Hospital is the most important hospital in Nigeria, so the vary of companies is massive.

Nevertheless, we are going to begin from Monday by performing fundamental skeletal companies of opening the Accident and Emergency unit.

We now have fumigated the models, the trauma centre, and the emergency areas. We’ll open it by Monday. The clinics will begin working by Monday, too. However among the laboratories, among the diagnostics in radiology, the most cancers centre and the molecular laboratory, polio laboratory, all of this might be troublesome to say once we will begin once more. All of it depends upon how briskly we’re in a position to rectify the challenges that might be recognized.

PT: Wanting on the degree of injury within the facility, what type of assist do you assume the hospital wants proper now so you may begin operation shortly?

Ahidjo: We’re calling on the federal government and well-meaning Nigerians to help the ability when it comes to gear. I believe the gear casualties will be the largest.

We now have many high-tech gear like 120 Slice CT, Linear Accelerator for most cancers centre – two of them – the costly state-of-the-art gear akin to two Elekta Linear Accelerators, two Brachytherapy machines and a Canon Massive Bore CT Simulator.

We even have Brachytherapy, we’ve got one other CT simulator, Molecular lab PCR machines. A whole lot of gear from polio lab, all the way down to Molecular lab to diagnostic laboratory, even laundry gear, tailoring gear, there are such a lot of that one might be stunned the type of companies that we’ve got within the hospital.

Electrical energy, the large generator units, the water therapy vegetation and all these issues. It’s a very massive and big selection. So, I consider any type of help (is required); folks ought to carry within the gadgets that we want: the EMR, all of the computer systems that we do digital report system (on), the servers and all these issues, they’re all affected to some extent.

So if there may be anyone that’s prepared to assist, we want to have these things again. The individual can come and provides a donation of computer systems for use for rectifying them, that’s the perfect type of help that we are able to get. Any type of gear.

PT: Thanks a lot on your time, Sir.