JUST-IN: Diphtheria Outbreak Worsens In Katsina As Teaching Hospital Struggles With Patient Surge

The ongoing diphtheria outbreak in Katsina State has triggered a surge in patients at the Federal Teaching Hospital Katsina (FTH Katsina), putting severe pressure on the hospital’s Children’s Ward and stretching available bed spaces beyond capacity.

The hospital management disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, saying it was receiving an overwhelming number of suspected and confirmed diphtheria cases referred to the facility, resulting in severe overcrowding.

Despite the pressure, the management said it was taking necessary measures to accommodate and manage the rising number of patients while continuing to provide timely and quality care to affected children.

It said healthcare workers had continued to demonstrate commitment and resilience in caring for critically ill children amid the increasing workload.

“FTH Katsina is doing everything within its capacity to provide timely and quality care to affected children,” the statement said.

The hospital management stressed the need for a coordinated response involving relevant health facilities and stakeholders to effectively manage the outbreak, protect affected children and ease the growing pressure on healthcare facilities.

It reaffirmed its commitment to supporting efforts to contain the outbreak and urged relevant stakeholders to strengthen coordination and provide the necessary support to manage the rising cases.

A bereaved father, whose son died at the hospital, however, told our correspondent that the facility was overwhelmed by the influx of patients.

He alleged that drugs were lacking and that healthcare workers were also overwhelmed by the number of children arriving at the hospital for treatment.

The father appealed to the Federal and Katsina State governments to urgently intervene by providing the hospital with the drugs, personnel and other resources needed to cope with the outbreak.

He said urgent government action was necessary to protect children seeking treatment and prevent further deaths as the diphtheria outbreak continues to put pressure on health facilities in the state.