By Maurice Okafor
The Federal Neuropychiatric Hospital Enugu is presently wearing a new look. From it’s Main gate linking Chime Avenue, which in the past was under lock and key, to the new hall beside the gate, up to the clinical wards and administrative buildings, a fresh breeze of infrastructural development is making a difference from the hospital’s ugly past of a litany of decayed infrastructure due to neglect and abandon by previous administration.
The coming of Professor Monday Igwe as the Chief Medical Director [CMD] of Federal Neuro Psychiatric Hospital Enugu, is the secret behind the success story of the on going developmental strides in the hospital. Prof. Igwe has brought to bear his managerial skills and experience in the onerous task of revitalizing the various buildings in the hospital, in addition to facilitating efficient service delivery to patients by the concerned workers/staff of the various sections.
Professor Igwe whose appointment as Chief Medical Director of Federal Neuro Psychiatric Hospital Enugu [From 2019 to the present time] as the 3rd Medical Director has endeared peace and conviviality among workers and directors of the hospital.
Prior to his appointment, the unions in the hospital were at logger heads with the hospitals management. The crisis resulted in the suspension of the former Medical Director and someone else appointed on acting capacity replaced was replaced by Prof Igwe. But Professor Igwe’s over whelming human approach to issues has since calmed fraying nerves.
Prof Igwe stated, “At present, Peace has fully returned to the hospital. There is good and cordial working relationship between the Management and Labour. No staff is denied of his legitimate entitlements.We have paid all arrears of salaries inherited from previous administration including salary shortfall in 2017, promotion arrears up till 2022 promotion year, Uniform arrears for Nurses and many other withheld salaries that did not follow due process before being implemented.
“Restoration of peace is a great breakthrough that services were hitherto abandoned because of crisis ridden environment, are now better rendered. The hospital management organizes town hall meetings and prayer sessions for all staff every quarter in the year,” Professor Igwe disclosed.
Prof Igwe’s administration at Federal Neuro Psychiatric Hospital [FNHE] Enugu, has also converted and upgraded the status of staff of the hospital who obtained additional qualifications. In all, over two hundred staff with additional qualifications has been converted after due confirmation of their additional qualifications from the relevant institutions and National Youth Service Corps[NYSC], at Abuja.
Prior to this initiative of Prof. Igwe’s administration, the last conversion exercise in the hospital was in 2013 and only 35 staff were converted. This gesture by the CMD is still being celebrated by the staffers of the hospital thereby ensuring that they are effectively motivated.
The FNHE management under Prof Igwe also imbibed the idea of capacity building of it’s staff through training and attendance of conferences/seminars. To a large extent, the department of Clinical philosophy, the school of post Basic Psychiatric Nursing were trained by staff from Nursing and Midwifery Council, Abuja. Likewise, Staff of Accounts department were trained by resource persons from the office of the Accountant General of the federation.
The FNHE Resident Doctors were not left out in the training exercise. They also benefited from the training programmes organized by the management. A consultant Community Physician and Statistician trained some interested staff to acquire skills on Research writing, Manuscripts,Proposals, dissertation,guide on road map to publishing,academic journals and books, Interpretation and analysis of data.
The FNHE management under Professor Igwe has procured psychological instruments and installed CCTV camera/TV to aid psychotherapy in the clinical psychology unit of the hospital. The management also procured electroconvulsive therapy machine, anesthetic equipment and electroencephalogram machine for the usage in the hospital
Professor Igwe’s initiatives at FNHE include the computerization of the revenue collection points, pharmacy, medical records and medical therapy units.
Structurally, the management has facilitated the completion and furnishing of a the new multi purpose complex which comprises of a 500 seater complex with four mini conference rooms. The complex is already equipped and furnished with furniture, refrigerators and 1000 KVA standby generator. The retention fee has been fully paid to the Contractor.
The FNHE management under Prof Igwe has also renovated the Sports complex of the hospital built for the students and procured sporting equipment to aid both indoor and outdoor sports. The moribund Cooperative societies of the hospital has been reactivated by the management and new ones established.
Prof Igwe stated, “At inception of this administration, no staff Co-operative was functional. Two registered societies were grounded by debts owed to them by members,deductions with remittance by past administration and poor management. I approved direct deductions, held series of meetings with executives and gave ultimatum to debtors to commence repayment. The two moribund cooperative societies are now fully active and functional. The members now receive low interest loans, can make savings with no fears about losing their money and already buying vehicles and lands for members. Two new ones have also been formed and incorporated’.
The fresh air enjoyed by Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu under Prof Igwe administration includes the repair of the abandoned and vandalized 300kva generator of the hospital and the purchase of an additional 100kva generator, Settlement of EEDC Fifteen million naira debt and restoration of regular supply of light to the hospital. The repair of the hospital’s water tanker and regular supply of water to the hospital.
Others include, the purchase of a new state of the art and fully equipped ambulance, the completion of six outpost stations for community mental health,Completion of 100 daily test capacity Molecular laboratory,Procurement and Installation of Solar streets lights, Purchase of utility vehicles, Procurement of 10 bedded Intensive Care Unit and establishment of Crisis and Intervention unit, among others.
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