Patients seeking medical care at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Rivers State, have raised concerns over what they describe as forced food purchases, power outages, and poor facility conditions, including toilets and water quality.
However, the hospital has denied the allegations, calling them unfounded.
Several patients shared their experiences, with some accusing the hospital of compelling them to pay for meals and endure foul odours in the wards caused by inadequate sanitation.
A viral post by an X user, Baridueh Badon (@BadonB), further fueled the conversation, as he criticized the hospital’s service and recounted his mother’s six-month stay.
Describing their ordeal, Badon remarked, “The first shock was compulsory feeding. Every patient was forced to eat hospital food. You can’t opt out of it. This food is worse than what people in prison eat. The cost was N2,000 per day. I could not understand why a hospital would force patients to eat their food.”
Another patient, Maureen Ikeaguchi, acknowledged the hospital’s medical care but voiced frustration over certain charges.
“I was treated well, even when I was in emergency. There was a swift response from them to take care of me. They didn’t even ask us for money for surgery. They had to take care of me first,” she said.
However, she expressed dissatisfaction over a N7,000 food bill, noting, “On the day we were about to leave the hospital, they gave me a bill of N7,000. They said it was for my feeding for the seven days I spent. I never ate their food. We argued but I ended up paying that money. That is one of the unnecessary bills I paid. Patients shouldn’t be forced.”
She also highlighted issues with the hospital’s water and toilets.
Tony John, who lost his son at the hospital, also shared mixed feelings. While commending the medical standards, he criticized delays and poor facilities.
“The staff took over three hours to open a file for my son,” he said, adding, “Poor electricity was a very serious issue. At the ICU, on the day my boy passed on, I bought 10 litres of fuel for them with a keg.”
In response, UPTH’s acting Public Relations Officer, Elabha Meni, dismissed the claims, insisting they were inaccurate.
“Power doesn’t disrupt our services in any way. How can power disrupt surgical procedures when operations are going on? Most times, people base their reports on social media, which isn’t correct,” Meni said.
Addressing the food policy, Meni explained, “There is inpatient feeding for every patient admitted for diabetes, and the food we give them goes with the treatment. As for the cost, I don’t know what it is. Every hospital has its policies. That is our policy, and they will have to follow it. It is for treatment, and people have to eat certain things.”
Meni assured that any staff found culpable after investigations would face appropriate action. “We deal with life. Life can’t be bought, and the management values life,” she concluded.
