स्टेट ऑफ़ गवर्नमेंट स्चोल्ल्स थे HOSPITALS

STATE OF MISSION SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS

Jesus gave an illustration in the gospel of a man who wants to build a tower. According to Jesus, the person who desired to build such a structure must sit down and calculate the cost to know whether with the resources at hand, he would be able to finish the project, lest people mock at him for being unable to complete what he started.

Some state governments especially in the Southern part of Nigeria has handed over to churches and voluntary agencies schools and hospitals that government took over in the early seventies. The handing over was a product of years of agitation by the mission and voluntary agencies that their property should be given back to them, as the rightful owners, as no compensation was given to them. But the sorry conditions of these schools and hospitals is to say the least lamentable. In the days of yore, mission schools and hospitals were centre of excellence and reference point for quality education and health services but the reverse seems the case today in some of these facilities.

The contribution of church to development, progress and growth education and health sectors in Nigeria is a testimony of the Christian doctrine of not only meeting the spiritual needs of man but also providing for the total wellbeing of the man, in this case, their followers and others who ready to avail themselves of these facilities. The Church played, and still playing, a pivotal role in the provision of education and health services. They were the harbingers and pacesetters. Its contributions cannot be rubbished or dismiss with a wave of hand.

But the state of some of these facilities in recent time is worrisome. Recently, the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Obong Godswill Akpabio visited one of those hospitals handed over to one of the churches in the state. The governor was not impressed with what he saw in the hospital. One may ask are the hospitals managed by the state doing well? This is a good question but if the governor complained then the state of the hospital is notoriously bad, since government health institutions are always known to be in a state of squalor, then the situation is bad. According to media reports, the governor was disappointed with the condition of the hospital and similar ones he visited. Akpabio observed that the continued infrastructural decay of the hospital was posing a serious threat to patients and may dent the image of his administration in the area of health care delivery. The deteriorating condition of some of these hospitals handed over to the original owners may compel the state government to review the ownership policy of mission hospital in the state.

Last June I was at one of such hospitals in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, to visit my younger sister who delivered a baby boy. My first surprise when I entered the premises was that of an abandoned property. Yes, a hospital environment should be serene and not in a party mood but it was that kind of silence that connotes that things have fallen apart. The hospital, which was the best medical facility in state before the establishment of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital was a shadow of itself. My sister has to go there because it is more of a village tradition to deliver a baby in the facility or to seek medical help; 70 per cent of people from my village are members of the church that owns this facility. And church members who seek medical attention in this facility are sure of daily ministration by men of God there. A hospital that was once bubbling with life looks more or less like a health centre in one remote village, except for the structures. The canteen which is supposed to meet the nutritional needs of the patients should be a discussion for another day. Simply, a road side buka is better.

There is nothing wrong with churches demanding for a return of what government forcefully seized from them. But these demands must be base on their ability to fund and managed such facilities effectively and efficiently. Forty years ago the hospital might have been the best thing to happen but today the church may not be able to raise the needed fund to run these hospitals to acceptable services. Even the well to do members of this church no longer patronizes this hospital which is an indication of how bad it is.

Mission schools in those days were strictly for members and non members were sometimes discriminated against except they want to forsake their church and joined the one owning the facility. The situation has improved today, no one bothers about your religious inclination and this is good for social integration, religious harmony and tolerance. But the church must be ready to fund these facilities and make it affordable to the less privileged members who cannot afford expensive private hospital or go abroad for treatment. The church is the light and salt of the world and therefore should not sacrifice standard for any reason. Please maintain the standard.

The relevant government agencies should set the minimum standards that these hospitals and schools should meet for them to remain in the care of the missions in terms of facilities, personnel and structures. And where a church wants to start a church or school, a minimum standard should be given to them to fulfill before the can commence business. These regulatory powers should be spelt out to avoid a situation where some capable and qualified churches would be denied approval because they are seen as rival and competitor and the official responsible for giving the approval may not be favourable dispose to the doctrines of the applicant. Health and education are capital intensive and where a mission feels it cannot fund these facilities adequately, they should hand them over to government or other institutions that could assist with some agreement to keep some of the identity of the church. Where a church has more hospitals and schools than its finance could carry there is nothing wrong with returning some to government.

It is not proper for a church to run a substandard school or hospital. The church of Christ is a church of excellence and only the best are worthy of being linked with the church. Churches should not just set up or retain schools or hospitals for ego sake, just because another has such facilities. A church should strive to provide the best in terms of staff, facilities and infrastructures.

Also since provision of health and education are primarily the responsibility of government, government should not only set up standards or carry out regular inspection of these facilities, government should give subvention and other forms of assistance to these institutions. Missions’ schools and hospitals help to reduce pressure on the public ones. Teachers paid from public purse should be posted to these schools while government should also donate facilities and equipment to them. Where this is obtained government can fix a ceiling on fees and charges since government is also a contributor and stakeholder.

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