Senior citizens major consumers of healthcare–UBTH CMD

Darlington Obaseki, chief medical director of University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), has said that senior citizens are the greatest consumers of healthcare in the hospital.

Obaseki made the disclosure at the International Day of Older Persons with the theme, “Caring for the elderly: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic”, organised by the Elder Friendly Hospitals Initiative (ELDFRHI) of the hospital in Benin City.

The UBTH boss noted that despite being the largest consumers of healthcare in the hospital, older persons are still facing difficulties in accessing health services.

While noting that 44 per cent of persons in medical examination in the hospital was 60 years and above as at 2019, he explained that due to the high numbers it became imperative to improve older people’s health and wellbeing through elder-friendly healthcare.

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“In March this year, the Honourable Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire came here in UBTH, to launch a unique project that UBTH is driving nationwide. We call it the Elder Friendly Hospital Initiatives.

“The reason why we started that project was basically because, we looked at our data of hospital utilisation, the greatest consumers of hospital services are older persons. In our medical emergency for example in 2019, 44 percent of people we attended were people of 60 years and above.

“Now, you contrast that with the proportion of the elderly persons in society. Older persons in Nigeria make up only five percent yet they utilize 44 percent of hospital services.

“When we looked at that data, we suddenly realised that despite being the largest consumers of hospital services, most hospitals, if not all hospitals in Nigeria, were not factoring them in the care process,” Obaseki said.

Earlier, Benson Okwara, team lead rapid response COVID-19 at UBTH, said early diagnosis, early treatment in suspicious cases and nursing care of confirmed cases were the methods adopted to treat elderly patients with COVID-19.

Okwara however, noted that 35 percent of 60 years and above persons accounted for confirmed cases of the pandemic in the hospital.

In his remarks, chairman of the occasion, John Odigie-Oyegun, commended the hospital management, particularly nurses for their commitment in ensuring patients get prompt healthcare.

“Given the state of our economy, several families no longer keep ailing relatives at home because it affects their lives. But when there is a geriatric friendly place in UBTH, you have the confidence your relative will get the total care they want,” he stated.