AGENE GODWIN, Benin
Hopes of many sickle cell patients now hang in the balance as facilities with which the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) successfully pioneered the stem cell transplant surgery in West Africa, four years ago, are no longer functional.
With the development, the multi-million Naira equipment with which doctors carry out stem cell transplant for sickle cell patients at the UBTH, Benin City have collapsed, due to poor funding.
It would be recalled that the UBTH successfully conducted the first stem cell transplant surgery on a seven-year-old sickle cell anaemia patient in 2011, relying on requisite knowledge for the procedure from a University in Switzerland.
The breakthrough, a two-week procedure, which ordinarily costs about N40 million outside the country but was done for less than N2.5 million in the country was hailed as no mean feat.
However, indications this week show that the facilities are now in decrepit state even as patients are being sent to hospitals like the UCH, Ibadan, with doctors who were sent for the specialist training abandoning their duty posts as a result.
Sources say that after the applause that greeted the feat, the Federal Government approved N100million as special Intervention fund for the project in 2012, the hospital never got a dime.
One doctor pleading anonymity said, “all the machines at the centre are leaking. We never got any money from the FG…we were told money was approved but we did not receive anything; only two small generators were bought for N2 million for the place”.
Confirming the information, through a statement, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Mike Ibadin said, he was aware of the N100 million budgetary provision for the stem cell plant in 2012 but that efforts by the hospital to access same failed as only the Ministry was authorized to do so.
“Efforts by the hospital to ensure that the funds were fully accessed proved abortive as we were told that the disbursement must be handled by the Ministry. Towards the close of the year two 60 KVA generators were brought to the Stern Cell Unit by contractors unknown to the hospital,” the statement read
It was further gathered that by its very nature, the centre was scheduled for Special intervention funds amounting to N300million as at 2014, to be administered by the Ministry, and though the funds were fully accessed during the period, the centre did not any kobo.
