Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori has stepped in to resolve the industrial dispute at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), Oghara, while also ordering urgent action to fix the hospital’s power supply and ageing infrastructure.
The intervention followed a closed-door meeting between the governor and the management of the teaching hospital on Monday, where key issues affecting the institution were discussed.
Speaking with journalists in Asaba after the meeting, the Chief Medical Director of DELSUTH, Prof. Harrison Abedi, said the governor’s intervention had addressed the concerns that triggered the workers’ unrest and renewed hope among the hospital’s management and staff.
According to Abedi, Governor Oborevwori personally invited the hospital’s management to find a lasting solution to the crisis and also discussed the major challenges affecting healthcare services at the facility.
He said one of the governor’s immediate priorities was resolving the prolonged electricity outage, which has disrupted hospital operations and water supply for about two weeks.
Prof. Abedi disclosed that the state government had already awarded a contract to restore stable electricity to the hospital, adding that the Ministry of Energy had begun work on the project.
He revealed that a new high-tension transformer that would provide the hospital with a dedicated 33KVA power line had been procured and was being transported from Lagos for installation.
“The governor has assured us that the power problem will soon become a thing of the past. We are grateful that the Ministry of Energy has swung into action, and we expect the transformer to arrive very soon,” he said.
The Chief Medical Director also said the governor directed him to work closely with the Commissioner for Health to begin the comprehensive rehabilitation and modernization of the teaching hospital.
According to him, the planned upgrade will improve the hospital’s ageing facilities and strengthen healthcare service delivery across the state.
Abedi expressed optimism that the governor’s intervention would encourage the striking workers to suspend their industrial action and return to work.
“We believe the unions will reconsider their position, and we are hopeful that the strike will be called off soon. Once that happens, normal services will resume immediately, and DELSUTH will return to full operation,” he said.
He commended Governor Oborevwori for his commitment to improving healthcare in Delta State, describing the intervention as a demonstration of responsive leadership and concern for the welfare of residents.
