Patients referred elsewhere as critical services remain shut for over one month
Resident doctors at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), Oghara, have raised serious concerns over the continued power crisis at the state’s only teaching hospital, warning that the facility can no longer provide many of the specialist services expected of a tertiary healthcare institution.
The doctors said the hospital has been operating mainly on a limited generator schedule after its step-down transformer failed on June 18, 2026, leaving several critical medical services suspended for more than one month.
Although a replacement transformer was delivered to the hospital on July 12, installation is yet to be completed and electricity has not been restored from the national grid.
The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), led by its President, Dr. Aghogho Isaac, alongside General Secretary Dr. Ogochuku Nwachuku and Dr. Asogwa Nwachioke, said the prolonged blackout has forced the hospital to suspend new admissions into its wards.
According to the doctors, admissions into the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and dialysis unit have all been suspended. Patients who require emergency specialist treatment are only stabilised before being referred to other hospitals.
They said despite the suspension of the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) industrial action, most wards remain largely empty because fresh admissions have stopped.
The doctors described the situation as unacceptable, warning that Delta State cannot continue to have its only teaching hospital functioning mainly as an outpatient and referral centre.
They stressed that patients suffering from life-threatening conditions such as severe bleeding during childbirth, ruptured ectopic pregnancy, kidney failure, major trauma, obstructed labour and other medical emergencies require immediate treatment, not referrals that could delay lifesaving care.
The association also warned that the crisis is affecting medical education and residency training, while hospital revenue has dropped significantly as healthcare workers are unable to provide the full range of specialist services.
The doctors acknowledged the Delta State Government for providing a replacement transformer but appealed to the government, hospital management, contractors handling the installation and BEDC Electricity Plc to ensure the project is completed without further delay.
According to them, every extra day without electricity continues to disrupt healthcare delivery, delay the training of future specialists and place additional financial and emotional burdens on patients and their families.
They insisted that restoring electricity to DELSUTH is no longer just an engineering project but an urgent public health emergency that requires immediate attention to prevent further disruption of healthcare services across Delta State.
