BY CHIKA KWAMBA
THE Delta State Hospital Management Board has refuted allegations that Central Hospital Ughelli only prescribes paracetamol for eye clots, as narrated by a victim of police brutality and reported in The Pointer newspaper.
The management board disclosed this in a statement released and signed by the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Mrs Mary Eyagbe for Permanent Secretary.
Recall that a commercial driver, Malcom Esumei, 41, a father of three, was allegedly attacked by officers from the Ughelli Area led by ASP Jeremiah. Recounting the incidents. Esumei revealed: “ After being released by the police, I went to Ughelli Central Hospital despite the pain. The doctor on duty instructed me to take a card for documentation.
“While I was doing so, I saw the same officers who had assaulted me talking with her(Doctor). When they noticed me, they left the Accident & Emergency (A&E) Unit. The doctor examined my jury but claimed it wasn’t serious.
“She then prescribed medication, and at the hospital pharmacy, I was only given Paracetamol. I informed her of this, but she reiterated that Paracetamol was sufficient and that the injury was minor.
“When I requested a referral due to the increasing pain, she told me they do not provide referrals and advised me to visit a different hospital if I needed one”, Esumei narrated.
Reacting to the claims, the management of the board, upon receipt of the publication, summoned the doctor on duty to confirm the veracity of the patient’s claims, Mr Malcom Esumei, as published by the media. She said, “It was not a serious injury on his eyes, and the prescription was in order as at the time of presentation at the accident and emergency unit.
“The specialist in charge of the Ophthalmology department also corroborated the medical officer’s assertion, having reviewed the case describing it as a mild conjunctival haemorrhage at the time of presentation at the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Unit.
“As the blood stain on the white part of the eye usually resolves on its own, hence the prescription, advising Mr Esumei to discontinue the use of one of the eye drops prescribed by the private hospital, to avoid damage to his eye and report back after 2 weeks for assessment” she said.
