Phebe Excepts HIV/AIDS Report

The Administration of the Phebe Hospital and School of Nursing has categorically distanced itself from a recent report that about one-thousand HIV/AIDS patients were on the run in Bong County. The story, published recently by the FrontpageAfrica Newspaper, was attributed to the Administrator of the Hospital, Kerson Saykor.

Not only was the story a mere fabrication, according to Mr. Saykor, but also had the tendency of tarnishing his high-earned reputation, especially as administrator of the Phebe Hospital.

The paper, earlier this week, published a story quoting him as revealing to county authorities that the county was at health risk as about one thousand HIV/AIDS patients were on the run with the hospital uninformed about their whereabouts.

Mr. Saykor, however, clarified that according to the county health team data, there were thirty people on its lost-to-find list-a category of people that have either change locations or abandoned Medicare, challengingd the paper to provide any evident-audio or participant of the retreat, to verify the attribution made to him during his presentation at the retreat as it claimed.

The Phebe Hospital Administrator wondered as to why journalists would intentionally decide to make up stories when they should be properly informing the public about unfolding issues.

“The way people are doing their journalistic work appears to be bringing ridicule to the profession that a lot of people know to be reliable in terms of the provision of quality information to the public,” Mr. Saykor noted in an angry mood.

The Phebe Hospital Administrator described the report attributed to him as misleading, and requested journalist Selma Lomax of FPA/Bong County to retract the story or face court action. He said he would ensure that the reporter goes to court for misquoting him in such story.

“Selma Lomax has always tried to bring individuals at the hospital and the hospital’s reputation to public ridicule; this is not his first time,” he mentioned.

Mr. Saykor said since the publication of the story, he continues to receive calls from across the country as people continue to express concern as to whether the alleged HIV patients were kept in a confined area.

He maintained that his court action will serve as deterrent to what he called the continuous attack from journalist Selma Lomax on the Phebe Hospital and its staff.

When contacted, Journalist Lomax said he was not in the position to address himself to the Phebe Hospital administrator’s comments, adding that he will make his position clear in due course.

It can be recalled that authorities of the Phebe Hospital last year took the journalist to court after he published a story under the caption: “nepotism engulfs Phebe Hospital”, while in the employ of the Gbarnga-based Bong Times Newspaper owned and published by Representative George S. Mulbah. The case ended with an out-of-Court settlement by lawyers of the Bong Times Newspaper and the Phebe Hospital.