The Resilience Of A Medical Icon: How Prof. Idia Ize-Iyamu Is Rescuing UBTH From Systemic Decay
By Oto’ Drama
IN the complex ecosystem of tertiary healthcare, a hospital is only as strong as the systems that sustain it. For the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), the journey toward becoming a global center of excellence has recently faced the dual headwinds of a volatile national economy and internal systemic vulnerabilities.
Yet, under the steadfast leadership of the Chief Medical Director, Professor Idia Nibokun Ize-Iyamu, the institution is undergoing a quiet but profound revolution—one rooted in the UBTH-CARES agenda: Clinical Excellence, Accountability, Revenue Protection, Efficiency, and Sustainability.
Navigating Economic Turbulence with Transparency
The recent review of hospital service prices has, understandably, sparked conversation. However, a dispassionate look at the facts reveals a global reality: since the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost of medical reagents, energy, and high-tech equipment maintenance has surged exponentially
Rather than allowing service standards to plummet, Professor Ize-Iyamu’s administration chose the path of transparency. The price adjustments were not arbitrary; they were a calculated necessity to ensure that when a patient walks through the doors of UBTH, the machines work, the lights stay on, and the life-saving consumables are in stock.
Correcting the Narrative: The Truth About Private Partnerships
There has been much talk regarding the engagement of private laboratory partners like Sudabelt and Ginos. To understand their presence is to understand the history of UBTH. These partnerships were not birthed by the current administration; they were inherited “rescue missions” initiated during the tenure of the former CMD, Professor Darlington Obaseki.
At that time, the dialysis unit—the only lifeline for patients with renal failure—was facing total paralysis due to a chronic shortage of supplies. These private entities were brought in to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. Recognizing their value in the current economic climate, Professor Ize-Iyamu has optimized these existing frameworks to ensure that no patient is ever turned away due to a lack of reagents.
The “Quality Laboratory”: A Shield Against Disruption
Perhaps the most strategic masterstroke of this administration is the establishment of the Quality Laboratory. In the past, UBTH was haunted by “service bottlenecks” that went beyond mere finances. There were dark periods when the blood bank was locked during internal disputes, leading to the heartbreaking expiration of rare, life-saving blood units.
Furthermore, “revenue leakage”—the practice of diverting hospital samples to external private labs—was weakening the institution’s ability to self-fund.
The Quality Laboratory was created as a strategic redundancy, which ensures that there is no zero downtime. With this arrangement, diagnostics continue even if other units face disruptions, and this enables funds to stay within the hospital to pay for staff welfare and infrastructure.
Contrary to false claims of “coercion,” patients at UBTH retain the absolute right to choose their laboratory. The administration simply empowers them with a high-quality, in-house option that guarantees faster turnaround times.
Leadership Under Fire: Integrity as a Response
It is often said that reform is never popular with those who benefited from the old, inefficient ways. The malicious allegations currently being circulated against the CMD—claims of extortion and unethical profit-sharing—are not just attacks on a person; they are attacks on the progress of UBTH.
Professor Ize-Iyamu has responded not with vitriol but with results. Under her watch, diagnostic access has stabilized, and the hospital is finally moving toward a model of self-sustainability that mirrors global best practices.
Leadership is the art of making difficult decisions today to protect the patients of tomorrow. The reforms at UBTH are structural reinforcements designed to ensure that the hospital remains a sanctuary of healing for decades to come.
Under Professor Idia Ize-Iyamu, the vision is clear: UBTH will not just survive the current economic climate—it will lead the way in showing how African tertiary institutions can be resilient, accountable, and, above all, patient-centered.
Dr. Drama contributed this piece from NO, 12 Okotienor Street, Warri, Delta State, Nigeria.
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