The outgoing Chief Medical Director, CMD, of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, Professor Darlington Obaseki, on Thursday recounted how an unidentified individual with vested interests attempted to sabotage the establishment of a cancer centre at the hospital.
DAILY POST reports that Professor Obaseki made the disclosure during an interactive session with journalists as part of activities marking the end of his tenure as CMD of the institution.
He stated that a certain personality within the state made concerted efforts to frustrate the installation and commissioning of the Oncology Centre during his administration.
While describing the cancer centre as one of the legacy projects of his tenure, he disclosed that the facility is scheduled to commence operations in September 2025.
“I fought very hard to make sure that the cancer centre came to fruition. This centre was supposed to have been installed and commissioned two years ago but was sabotaged by one of our own that I won’t mention.
“But God has a way of rewarding diligent workers. It was by dint of divine providence that we were able to commission the centre before the end of my tenure.
“The oncology centre is one of the projects very dear to me because of the suffering patients and relations go through, especially when they are referred to Abuja and other parts of the country for treatment,” he said.
Professor Obaseki, whose tenure officially ended on August 17, noted that it would have been a painful experience if the centre had only been commissioned after he had left office, given the enormous challenges surmounted to bring it to completion.
He further revealed that mechanisms have been established to ensure the sustainability of the centre, with plans already in motion to procure a second machine within the next three months.
The outgoing CMD also highlighted technological advancements during his administration, stating that the hospital has been fully digitised for end-to-end services. He noted that fibre optic cables have been installed throughout the hospital to support stable electricity and connectivity.
“We see 1,500 patients in our clinics daily, and about 300,000 out-patients in a year, while about 500 to 600 patients are on admission every day,” he added.
Professor Obaseki, however, refuted allegations of exorbitant healthcare costs at UBTH, asserting that the hospital continues to subsidise many of its services.
“Our specialist consultation fee for instance is N2,500, whereas, in some hospitals within the State, charge as high as N10,000,” he stated.
