BENIN CITY- University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) was soaked in Merry spirit on Christmas day as management, led by the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Professor Darlington Obaseki, took off time from normal routine to distribute gifts to patients, sharing jokes and banters, to help spread happiness and the Christmas cheer.
Unlike at other periods when patients wear sullen looks awaiting their medication, patients had happy looks. CMD Obaseki observed that it was a privilege to be able to be with people around the wards. He said that the joy being spread would enable many patients to be discharged. Management he stated, appreciated the sharing of love and caring for the less privileged.
A bubbling choir of student nurses who sang the Christmas carols put patients in convivial mood as they effortlessly got them singing along and even smiling despite their varying degrees of ailments. The presentation of gifts and messages of goodwill no doubt put the icing on the cake for patients.
The special guest and wife of the CMD, Mrs. Chigozie Obaseki while wishing all a happy holiday, chirped in that the Christmas season was not meant for binge drinking/eating but a season to show love.
To motivate workers, awards were presented to outstanding persons in different units as well as to the cleanest wards. However, through the CMD’s prerogative, Engineer Wassa Sunny was awarded the staff of the year for haven come up with seventeen projects in the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E), in less than one year of being at the job.
In related vein, the CMD stated that apart from treating about 20-30 yellow fever patients and sending staff to nip its spread at the epicentres at the peak of the scourge, through the hospitals community health department, it also succeeded at vaccinating nine hundred staff of UBTH against the disease.
