•Church submerges in Kpakiama, worshippers take flight

By Chancel Sunday

BOMADI – FLOOD has overrun Our Saviour’s Hospital, the leading private sickbay in riverine Bomadi community, Bomadi Local Government Area in Delta State, forcing the management to evacuate patients on sick bed to Silver-Rays Hotel in the locality.

•A cross-section of patients inside Silver Ray Hotel

This is as worshippers have deserted Lasiria Zion, a church in Kpakiama community, Bomadi council, also submerged by flood. Deputy Majority Leader, Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. K O Preyor, is one of the worshipers.

Pitiable sight

When NDV visited the hotel at Bomadi Overside, the situation  was pathetic, as most of the patients were hungry and their relatives battling flood at home could not stay with them. The hospital lost some of its vital equipment to the scary flood.

The chief medical director, Dr. Matthew Tuduo, was unavailable during our visit, but a senior nurse, Bethel Efekpokpo, said: “We are indeed suffering here, since last month we have been battling with flood water at the hospital premises, but all to no avail. It was all a fruitless effort.

•Our Saviour’s Hospital

“We had to take this decision and moved patients and some of our equipment to this hotel premises. In the process of moving materials and patients, some equipment got lost right in the flood water at the premises.

“Due to the rush, some equipment even got damaged, as the flood water was so menacing that we could not move some vital equipment to this place.

“Our present challenges are enormous; many patients do not know that we moved to this hotel, while, we refer some serious cases brought to us to other places because we do not have the needed equipment here.

Patients suffering

“Since we cannot move our blood bank machine to this place, emergency cases that require blood transfusion are referred to other places.

“Again, most patients are suffering because their loved ones who visited them before this time no more come because everyone is battling flood in their various communities.

“Most cases we have here are surgery cases and severe malaria, and most patients do not have food to eat on daily basis. Their situation is pathetic as we can do little to assist,” she said.

Send relief materials

Efekpokpo added: “We watched on television when the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, visited some areas affected by the flood, but up till this moment, we have not seen any political leader visit victims in Bomadi.

“We, the management are appealing to the state government to put the patients here into consideration in the distribution of relief materials to flood affected people.

“Government should not only concentrate on victims in camps set up by it. People are really suffering here,” she said.