The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has warned that unless the state government urgently intervenes, public hospitals in the state risk losing avoidable incidences of deaths due to paucity of medical workers.
The House therefore called on the state government to recruit more health workers, noting that secondary healthcare facilities in the state were in dire need of more hands to deliver effective healthcare services to the people, saying budgetary provisions were made for such recruitment in the 2024 budget.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Health and member representing Ibiono Ibom State Constituency, Hon Moses Essien, made the call during an on-the-spot assessment of some General Hospitals in the state.
He also made a case for “doctors and nurses who work at the secondary health care facilities to reside within the environment they work to render 24/7 health services,” maintaining that the government has made provision for staff quarters to give the health workers an opportunity to reside close to their patients in case of emergencies.
On the issue of inadequate subventions raised by some Chief Medical Superintendents (CMS) in some hospitals, the Chairman explained that the hospitals generate revenue for the state government and called on the Ministry of Health to look into the request for increment of subventions and stay consistent with it.
Speaking on maintenance culture in the hospitals, Hon. Essien charged the CMSs in each of the hospitals to ensure that the health facilities put under their care do not rot and that the environment should remain in good condition befitting of a healthcare facility, adding that “to whom much is given, much is expected.” He urged them to set machinery in place to ensure that adequate repairs are done in time to avoid unnecessary deterioration of hospitals’ infrastructure.
In their separate responses, the CMSs of General Hospital, Akwa in Onna local government area, Dr Francis Inyang; Immanuel Hospital, Eket, Dr. Itaketo Ndaeyo; and General Hospital, Iquita, Oron, Dr. Sabastine Noah, explained that the medical needs of the people are of utmost importance to them and that they are doing their best to deliver quality health care services to the people.
They commended the state government for making investments in the health sector by purchasing needed machines and other health facilities to cater for the health needs of the people. They however appealed for increased subventions and health workers which, according to them, “combined to slow down the smooth operations of the hospitals.
If these are considered, they assured that secondary health care facilities will enjoy a boost in the quality of services delivery to the people.
CMSs further solicited a functioning Works department to handle the maintenance of facilities in various state hospitals to ensure that the equipment works optimally without breaking down.
