FMC, Owerri Stinks Again, …. Darkness Befalls Ward 9, As Mosquitoes Attack Inmates, Patients Lament Substandard Care

FMC, Owerri Stinks Again,

…. Darkness Befalls Ward 9, As Mosquitoes Attack Inmates, Patients Lament Substandard Care

Things are not going the right way for sick persons and relatives admitted at the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Owerri, Imo State, otherwise known as the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, FUTO, Teaching Hospital.

The health facility is again in the news for wrong reasons.

This time, the conditions of admitted patients in Ward 9 calls for attention.

Trumpeta correspondent reveals that sick persons admitted in Ward 9 of the FMC, Owerri, are currently experiencing darkness in the place with no functional power supply in the ward.

It was gathered that doctors and nurses are forced to find their ways into the ward to handle the patients with torchlights from phones while the patients are worse hit.

They are forced to navigate the space using phone flashlights and makeshift lighting, creating dangerously unsafe conditions for basic medical care.

Several patients who spoke under conditions of anonimity and staff afraid of victimization allege that they are often expected to provide items for light; an approach that is alien to the system.

Further Investigations by the newspaper revealed that the blackout is due to alleged vandalized electrical cables, leaving to the ward which has given rise to the darkness witnessed for sometime now.

Despite the situation, no emergency response or temporary solution has been put in place to ameliorate the situation. It remains unclear when power will be restored.

Concerns over the development compound the plethora of complaints raised by the patients over the manner of health care service rendered at FMC, Owerri. Patients report paying at least ₦3,000 per meal daily, yet the meals are substandard and lacks adequate nutrition. Bed space costs not less than ₦7,000 per day, yet beds are uncomfortable, rooms poorly ventilated, and the ward wholly unfit for health care delivery.

Trumpeta findings indicate that basic facilities expected in a federal medical institution are either inadequate or entirely absent. There is no functional lighting or fitted fans, and patients are constantly exposed to mosquito infestations and other insects. Doors and windows lack nets, no mosquito nets are provided for sleeping, and no insecticide is supplied to mitigate the problem. Fears are that the situation exposes patients to secondary infections and severe discomfort.

Sanitation has also collapsed due to an ongoing strike by junior staffers, which has drastically halted cleaning and waste disposal. Senior staff have made minimal arrangements to cover up the lapses but yet, refuse still pile up and dirt accumulate, often remaining in patients ward until daylight.

Patients and their caregivers are reportedly the ones who sweep their own spaces to maintain hygiene, when no one is seen to come to do it, a practice that violates healthcare standards and undermines patient dignity.

The crisis in Ward 9 reflects systemic failures including delayed emergency response, weak facility management, poor contingency planning, and a lack of oversight on patient welfare.

For a federal institution funded by public resources, these conditions raise urgent questions about accountability, prioritization, and respect for human life.

As at the time of this report, power remains out with no clear indication of when it would be restored.

Sanitation is poor, and patients continue to bear the physical, emotional, and financial burden of a failing system. Patients have voiced their frustrations.

“We are paying for the services being given to us, and we expect the best, especially since this is a government hospital. Healthcare is a right, not a privilege, and no one should be forced to endure it in total darkness”, one of the frustrated patients offered.

Efforts to reach the office of the Chief Medical Director failed as the official was said not to be in the office when our reporter and efforts to get the person on the phone for reaction proved abortive.