The Director of  Medical Services,University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Dr Abiodun Otegbayo, has refuted the claims that there was an increase in number of respiratory diseases and ulcer attended to by the hospital, following the five-day protest on hike in fuel price in the state.

Speaking at the hospital, Dr Otegbayo said that the experience of the hospital, which was currently carrying out cleaning of its entire service centres, including its wards, was the contrary.

The medical expert, who declared that people exposed to carbon soots and smoke from the burning of tyres were prone to such diseases as asthma and upper respiratory diseases, said most individuals that had cough, infections of the airway and asthmatic attacks as a result of exposure to the smoke and carbon soots would have resorted to self medication or visit private hospitals for treatment.

Dr Otegbayo, while saying only people with severe health problems due to the environment pollution were likely to seek medical care at the UCH, said that the health aftermath of burning tyres in the city would be more in children and the malnourished.

He, however, said the limited admission of patients to the hospital at the period made the cleaning exercise easy.

“What we are doing is a complete wash down, fumigation, disinfection, de-roaching of areas with cockroaches and de-snaking of laboratories suspected to have snakes. That made us to reduce the number of patients we are taking in, except on emergencies.

Hopefully, that should be finished by this week. But for now, the clinics are functioning 100 per cent,” he said.

Dr Aderemi Adeosun, a consultant Ear, Nose, Throat (ENT) specialist, while corroborating the link between exposure to carbon soots and health problems such as asthma, exacerbation of airway obstruction and upper respiratory tract infections, commended the state’s environmental Department for clearing of the leftover of the burnt tyres from the roads.

According to him, the step had ensured lesser exposure to carbon soots from the environment.

“You can imagine if nothing was done to clear the roads of the carbon soots, quite a large number of people would have been exposed to it. This type of hydrocarbon from rubber is very injurious to the lungs and the lining of the nose and wind pipe. It can precipitate serious injuries such as cancer and asthma,” Dr Adeosun said.

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