NPMCN on Re-accreditation visit: commends UPTH management and internal medicine department

Representatives of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) led by Prof. Austin Osemwegie Obasohan made a statutory re- accreditation visit to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH).

Together with management team and consultants of the Internal Medicine department, the team took record of personnel and inspected facilities for the faculty's residency training programmes for  Internal Medicine.

The team was warmly received by the Chief Medical Director(CMD) Prof. Henry Ugboma, represented by the Chairman Medical Advisory Committee(CMAC) Prof. Datonye Alasia, at the board room, made introductions and outlined the itinerary for the re-accreditation exercise. The Head of  Department (HOD) Internal Medicine, Dr. Chibuike Nwafor ,  alongside other consultants and members of staff of the department gave the necessary guidance as they led the visiting team through the department, and other service areas of the hospital where complementary services are rendered to her patients.

Members of the team also visited other medical service areas where Residents see their patients and gain  complementary medical expertise. The departments visited include - Radiology, Accident and Emergency , Anatomical Pathology, Chemical Pathology, Haematology, side laboratories, call rooms, nursing stations, the male and female wards of internal medicine department, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), the Medical Outpatient Clinic and the Medical Library.

The team, after the two day painstaking  assessment, returned to debrief the  hospital's management and the department. The leader of the re-accreditation team, Prof. Obasohan commended the department, especially the cardiology team,  stating his satisfaction with the good number of competent doctors in the unit in a time like this when most cardiologists are leaving the country to seek greener pastures.

He made some observations and recommendations for management of  the hospital to look into maintenance and possible acquisition of essential medical equipment that will aid services: CT scan machine. He also recommended that the gastroentrology unit get a fibroscan machine, which is a major piece of equipment for the unit. 

He added that the nephrology, Gastroentrology, and neurology units will need more doctors to adequately give training and care.

Responding to the team, the CMD, Prof. Ugboma, who was present during the debriefing, thanked the team and members of the department for seeing through the success of the re-accreditation exercise. He promised to work with his team to  address the concerns raised in the observation and recommendation submitted by the visiting team.