N41 billion Akwa Ibom ‘world class’ infirmary shuts downwards simply 2 years after

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The Ibom Specialist Hospital inward Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has been unopen down, only 2 years after it was built in addition to commissioned past times the management of erstwhile governor, Godswill Akpabio.

Almost all the wellness workers inward the infirmary were foreigners, to a greater extent than oftentimes than non from India.

Mr. Akpabio had boasted that the hospital, which he described equally ‘world class’, was ameliorate equipped in addition to higher inward condition than academy instruction hospitals inward Nigeria, in addition to that it was going to promote medical tourism inward the country.

The multi-million dollar infirmary was unopen downwardly inward September after its individual managers terminated their contract amongst the province authorities in addition to withdrew from the facility.

When visiting the infirmary on Mon evening, the facility was locked down; apart from the safety officials, non a unmarried someone was within its massive buildings.

Visitors were non allowed entry.

Some persons who had worked inward the infirmary said that the individual managers – Cardiocare Medical Services Ltd – left because of unresolved issues bordering on funding past times the province government.

The Commissioner for Health inward the state, Dominic Ukpong, confirmed on Wed to this paper that the infirmary has been closed down.

Mr. Ukpong, a medical doctor, admitted that in that place was a disagreement betwixt the province authorities in addition to Cardiocare Ltd over the funding of the Ibom Specialist Hospital. But he also defendant Cardiocare of piteous direction of the facility.

“The management of the hospital, inward my opinion, has non been satisfactory,” Mr. Ukpong said

“Their excuses receive got been that authorities didn’t come across its ain component of the obligation. But I am a witness to the huge amount of coin the authorities has given to the service provider to run the hospital. And nosotros haven’t had much to demo for it,” the wellness commissioner said.

He said coin was released at diverse times for the running of the hospital, too the $5 i one one thousand thousand start-off fund the province authorities gave to Cardiocare Ltd.

The infirmary could non larn its electrical ability from the ability fellowship since it was non connected to the national grid.

Mr. Ukpong said: “Apart from the fact that the province authorities was giving diesel fuel gratis to their quarters, I cry back that at some betoken the province authorities gave N250 i one one thousand thousand to them (Cardiocare), at their request, which they said they wanted to exercise to pay salaries.

“As shortly equally they were given the coin they came in addition to said that that was for arrears. They came dorsum for to a greater extent than money.

“The province authorities has given them N50 million, also on request.

“They asked that the authorities should live on paying them N30 i one one thousand thousand monthly for them to pay salaries to some consultants, peculiarly the neurosurgeon. We gave them the money.”

Mr. Ukpong said that the erstwhile governor, Mr. Akpabio, who is the Senate Minority Leader, intervened roughly June in addition to mediated inward a coming together betwixt the province authorities in addition to Cardiocare.

Cardiocare, Mr. Ukpong said, did non accolade whatever of the understanding reached at the meeting, amid which was that the fellowship should introduce to the province authorities a price-list of the services the infirmary was rendering.

“You know people were complaining close the high cost of getting medical services there, in addition to nosotros wanted to brand certain that our people had access to the medical attention offered inward the facility,” he said.

Mr. Ukpong said Cardiocare had insisted that they were scaling downwardly the infirmary functioning because of lack of funds, but that the fellowship refused to introduce a proposal for it to the authorities equally agreed inward the meeting.

The commissioner said the authorities released N180 i one one thousand thousand to Cardiocare after the coming together that was mediated past times Mr. Akpabio.

“As shortly equally they collected the coin they left,” Mr. Ukpong said.

A medical Dr. who used to move inward the infirmary said that it struggled for survival because it did non savour much patronage from people within in addition to exterior Akwa Ibom.

The doctor, who did non desire his cry mentioned inward this report, said Governor Udom Emmanuel in addition to his management did non attention much close how the infirmary was faring, adding that the governor never visited or promoted the infirmary inward society to encourage local patronage.

The Dr. said that what may receive got eventually brought downwardly the infirmary was the “huge” resources it spent on the handling of the victims of the Dec 2016 Uyo Church edifice collapse.

“Our infirmary was where they brought almost everybody to; fifty-fifty people that were taken to other hospitals all the same came dorsum to our infirmary for treatment,” he said. 

“We had upwards to lxxx surgeries or more. We had over a hundred patients at that time.”

He said the province authorities did non pay for the handling of the patients until things became actually bad for the hospital.

“The governor released coin inward July, but past times that fourth dimension things were already bad, the surgeons that were making coin for the infirmary left,” he said.

The wellness commissioner, Mr. Ukpong, responded to the allegation, proverb that the N180 i one one thousand thousand the province authorities gave to Cardiocare Ltd was partly meant for the handling of the victims of the Reigners’ Bible Church collapse.

“They gave me an outrageous mouth which I couldn’t handgrip amongst equally a doctor,” he said.

“They were asking for N294 i one one thousand thousand for 300 out-patients in addition to close 70-something in-patients."

“The infirmary was complaining close coin earlier the church building incident. So, allow nobody exercise that incident equally an excuse,” he said.

Media reports seat the amount at which the Akpabio management used inward setting upwards the infirmary at N30 billion. But the wellness commissioner, Mr. Ukpong, said it was close N41 billion.

The hospital, which was i of the signature projects of the Akpabio administration, was hurriedly inaugurated inward May 2015, few days to the goal of the administration, fifty-fifty when the buildings were yet to live on completed.

Governor Emmanuel said inward June that the infirmary was non well-equipped to make optimum results, an assertion that has been re-echoed past times the wellness commissioner.

“The whole affair wasn’t totally completed. The dialysis department didn’t come upwards through. Three modular theatres were non yet completed. Some of the areas were non completed because the contractors did non receive got all their money,” said Mr. Ukpong, who revealed that the infirmary was running at exclusively 10 per centum of its full capacity.

The commissioner said the understanding betwixt the province authorities in addition to Cardiocare Ltd was done clearly inward favor of the latter, adding that his office, for instance, didn’t receive got whatever supervisory purpose inward the entire arrangement.

Also, he said he was non aware that the infirmary managers e'er paid whatever coin to the province government, despite the understanding stipulating that they would live on paying some revenues to the government. 

Some patients who had paid medical fees to the infirmary earlier it was unopen down, unfortunately, became stranded when they were after prevented from entering the facility.

Inih Ebong, a erstwhile lecturer inward the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, was amid the patients that were stuck after paying coin to the infirmary for a check-up.

Mr. Ebong had paid N30,000 for an abdominal scan – Barium enema – recommended past times the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, UUTH, which referred him to the hospital.

The wellness workers at the Ibom Specialist Hospital, on 3 dissimilar days, kept asking Mr. Ebong to come upwards dorsum for a scan fifty-fifty when they must receive got known that the infirmary was close beingness unopen down. They told him at some betoken that they could non acquit the scan because of equipment breakdown.

Mr. Ebong till appointment has non been able to make the scan or larn a refund from the hospital.

“And this was a scan that required you lot to remain without eating whatever nutrient for at to the lowest degree 2 days earlier it,” Mr. Ebong said.

“In add-on to that, they had prescribed a laxative for me to take, 2 tablets inward the morn in addition to some other 2 inward the evening. Then on the 3rd day, the 24-hour interval for the scan proper, I was told to receive got an enema to clear whatever nutrient particle may receive got remained inward my digestive system,” he said, adding that he took a full of 24 tablets of the laxative in addition to got fed upwards amongst it.

Mr. Ebong said he repeated the procedure of emptying his bowel thrice inward less than i month, on the doctor’s advice, piece waiting for the infirmary to telephone phone him inward for the scan.

Mr. Ebong said when he telephoned the infirmary on September 21, instead of beingness told to come upwards inward for a scan, he was informed that the facility had been unopen down.

“The radiologist that picked upwards my telephone phone told me that in that place was no betoken coming to the infirmary equally the safety guard won’t allow me into the infirmary premises,” he said.

The wellness commissioner, Mr. Ukpong, said for straight off nobody could say when the infirmary would re-open. The province government, he said, was talking amongst investors from Dubai in addition to Canada.

Apart from this, the commissioner said the authorities was doing its best to keep the hi-tech equipment inward the hospital.

“I experience upset that it has come upwards to this, but I also experience relieved that a piteous management has left,” Mr. Ukpong said.

Cardiocare Medical Services Ltd could non live on reached for its reaction.

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