The University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) has refute claims that babies died and surgeries were cancelled, due to a power outage in its facility.
This was contained in a rebuttal issued in PortHarcourt on Saturday, by the acting Public Relations Officer, Elabha Meni.
Reacting to reports on social media that 14 infants died at the hospital, Meni who admitted that there was a power failure, however tagged the news as a ‘scandalous social media propaganda’.
He accused “certain persons” of trying to tarnish the image of the teaching hospital, by spreading false news and information.
The statement reads, “The University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital is an institution, where the world’s best medical standards are practised and maintained. Which also has helped make the institution one of the best medical centres in the South-South and Nigeria at large.
“However, it is quite saddening that certain persons try to tarnish the image of the hospital by spreading false messages and information that are inaccurate.
“Our attention has been drawn to a story of the 14 to 19 babies dying in the hospital, this is not correct. We did not record any infant mortality in our SCBU (inborn and outborn) as a result of our electrical power outage, due to the faulty transformer, during which the standby generator serviced the hospital for the period, with all emergency areas fully powered.
“Surgeries were never cancelled; neither were our services disrupted, We want the general public to know that we remain committed in our service to humanity.”
“The management of UPTH frowns seriously at such scandalous social media propaganda that is damaging its image.
It was earlier reported that patients, including those undergoing surgical operations, were affected by the irregular power supply at UPTH as newborns, including
the twin babies of a woman who was barren for seven years but placed in an incubator because they were delivered prematurely,died.
Patients were allegedly referred to private hospitals because of the electricity situation even as relatives “used phone lights” to aid the treatment of persons rushed to the Accident and Emergency Ward.
The information of the babies’ demise has sparked outrage with Nigerians on and off social media calling for an immediate probe.