UNIVERSITY HEALTH SERVICES
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UNIVERSITY HEALTH SERVICES
Background
 The building of the University Health Services initiated
as a sickbay in 1952 by the Nigerian College of Arts and Science. It has
grown through thick and thin to its bigness now and continues to grow
bigger. A population in excess of hundred thousand (100, 000) people with
35000 student population is now served. Of the new patients we see daily
60-70% is students and we expect to see more.
At the beginning
when the scheme smaller and more intimate, it seemed easier to know the
students. The basic philosophy was of service to staff and student with
genuine caring. The bigness and business of the Health Service now fogs
this philosophy but if you look carefully it's still there.
From
the beginning, the struggle has been of space and resources. On the Main
Campus, the present location of the ‘Sickbay’ adjacent to Suleiman Hall
covers a total of over 2,600 sq meters, and was occupied in 1968. Before
this date, the ‘Sickbay’ had been located in various areas at various
times, from Nagwamatse road in residential Area A, to the Cappa housing
unit, then to the former Community Medicine Department and finally to the
present site.
Apparently, the movements and the expansions of
Sickbay had been necessitated by the need to create a more conducive space
to cope with rising demand for these services as the institution’s
population rapidly grew. An appreciation of this rising demand may be
gained from the fact that whereas in 1972 the main campus Sickbay had
attended to an estimated average of 350 cases on daily basis, this figure
had gone up to 500 by 1982 and 700 by 1987 and 700-1000 in 1997 to 2002.
On the Kongo campus, on the other hand, the Sickbay had occupied
its present location (opposite the Security office) since the inception of
the campus, albeit with expansion programme at various stages to cope with
the rising demands for its services. Presently, the Unit occupies about
2,000 sq meters and has attended to, on a daily basis, about 200 cases by
1972, 286 cases by 1982 and 309 cases by 1987, accordingly. The same
trends have characterized the Sickbay in all other campuses of the
University and, like the libraries, the Sickbays constitute points of
daily convergence by University staff of all categories for the purpose of
meeting personal and family needs.
With the growth of the
population, the scheme has struggled to expand and is has now become a
full fledged University Health Services unit with a curative wing at the
status of secondary health care facility. It has used begging at times in
order to grow!
Attempt in 1981/82 to expand it to a full fledged
health center could not be accomplished (refer to ABU Life Project, Vol.
5), while in 1985 an extension of Child Welfare Clinic was carried out. In
1990, without the involvement of University Health Services, the user
department, a building was erected by Physical Planning Unit vide National
University Commission as a Sickbay extension. The use of the building had
to be strongly debated and later on the Laboratory Unit, Dental section,
Infant and Child Welfare, Ante-natal and Family Planning clinics took it
over. The scheme has continued with the struggle.
 A crisis in the
University brought a Sole Administration to head the University. Before
the Sole Administrator, 1995, the entire structures were dilapidated;
equipment and service vehicles such as Ambulances, six refuse vans were
all grounded. These are short of several other problems to be addressed.
There was virtually zero funding coupled with inflation and increased
population. Such important sections like pharmacy, laboratory, preventive
and environmental health were almost completely crippled. The staffing
situation especially in the medical and public health centre became
terribly poor with only three medical doctors serving the whole community.
There was generally low morale coupled with indiscipline. There was a
total failure of sanitation and hygiene in the entire University. This was
indicated by failure of refuse and solid waste disposal with heaps every
where and also collapsed drainages and stagnant water. Mountains of refuse
are seen along the frontage of the university etc etc. The UHS Director
then was DR. J. U. Fasori an Indian who headed the department from 1978.
In 1996 the department was handed to Dr. A. Usman and to Dr. S.K. Musa in
June 1997. The key player in the progress and management of University
Health Services is the Director.
The Decline In Manpower: By 1995,
the clinic was reduced to a mere transit camp for doctors due to
inadequacy in the University policy for attracting and retaining them.
There is an exit of 13 doctors within five years. The Unit which had 266
staff (80 senior and 186 junior staff) by 1998 now has 194 (61 senior and
133 junior), shrinking by 19 senior staff and 53 junior staff due to
retrenchment without replacement.
Go
to Top The Dawn:
Despite the odds the dream of achieving the goal and objectives of an
African University health services was never lost. Success began with the
period of military sole administrator rtd Major General Mamman Kwantagora,
the unit was renovated in 1996 though the contract was terminated at a
stage and could not be completed, 80% of the work was achieved. This
administrator gave some level of autonomy to the UHS department began to
strengthen sanitation activity of the health services as well as the
medical arm.
Working closely with the unit, the Mahadi
administration (1999 -2004) made remarkable progress in sanitation that
has significant positive impacts on the environment, touching the
physical, social and psychological well-being of the community. The
standard of environmental health is exemplarily high such that the future
leaders trained within the University will help in promoting similar
standard in the villages and towns they may later work. There is emphasis
on preventive health and curative medicine, with curative care expansion
as in:
- Engagement of casual labourers in Samaru and Kongo campuses with
more than 2000 people who have benefited and so far we have constantly
935 (excluding Students Affairs) currently on the payroll. There is the
expansion of preventive and sanitation to four sections: environmental
and sanitation, parks and gardens academic and parks and gardens
residential and the addition of forest guard with employment of more
technical staff. In each residential area workers are now permanently
assigned to maintain sanitation.
- The employment of the casual labourers has socioeconomic and
security effect for the entire community It has enhance too the
relationship between the University and its neigbours which is now very
cordial. As a social service to the neighbouring communities, this has
reduced unemployment tremendously.
- The sewage disposal and treatment system also received significant
attention especially with the construction of new inspecting chambers
and rehabilitation of the collapsed ones. Over the years this has
stemmed frequent incidences of sewage spillage in various parts of the
University and has ensured adequate treatment of the sewer. More than
ten prototypes public toilets/urinals were constructed in both Kongo and
Main Campus. There are also more than ten refuse collection points
erected.
In a study it was found by Mbuh e tal between 1997 to 2001 that there
was a general decrease in the pattern and prevalence of most of the
diseases as the environmental sanitation improved over the years. The
prevalence of typhoid fever has reduced by 16.9% and that of diarrhoea
has reduced by 14.02% respectively. The prevalence of hookworm too has
reduced by 17.33% while that of ascaris infestation reduced by 14.12%
(Book of Proceedings of the First National Conference on Environmental
Health Society of Nigeria (EHSON).
There was also tremendous decline in the cases of snake bites in
recent years. There was no record of a single case from 2000 till now!
(Emergency health records)
- From the carcasses that constituted nuisance in the Estate yard, the
administration was able to rehabilitate/refurbish up to 14 vehicles for
sanitation work. It is also able to sustain regular repairs, servicing
and fueling of these trucks. It has also purchase two new motor cycles
for supervisions. Also for Kongo campus sufficient sanitation working
implements that will last them for many years were procured recently. As
a result, Kongo is wearing a new look.
Registration Of The Facility By The National Health
Insurance Scheme
The clinic has successfully gotten registered as a Primary Health
Care Provider for NHIS Social Health Insurance Programme. It also warn
recently Secondary Health Care Provider in Ophthalmology, Internal
Medicine, Dental Pharmacy and Laboratory. This also requires the
improvement of UHS master plan.
Policy Issue
The university through its health services unit and the teaching
hospital provides medical and health services to staff and their family
limited by its resources. It also carries out pre-employment medical
examination to staff and insist on pre-registration medical examination
to new students. However there is now the new monetization and the
National Health Insurance Scheme policies. Go
to Top |
