Gov. Bassey Otu
…Engages More Doctors To Bridge Gap
Worried by the state of health, Cross River state government has declared a state of emergency on its health sector.
While addressing newsmen over recent public outcry on the deplorable nature of healthcare services in the state, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Henry Egbe Ayuk, specifically said the human resource crisis in the health sector is poor hence an emergency.
In view of this, he said the State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu led administration is taking urgent steps to address the ailing situation in the sector and has graciously lifted employment embargo to allow recruitment of critical staff and directed expedite action on the ongoing process of staff recruitment.
“The governor had also directed the Ministry of Health to redeploy critical health personnel from urban locations to underserved rural communities, commence implementation of improved conditions of service for health staff to align with what is obtained in federal service, as well as engagement of contract staff as a stop gap,” he added.
The present administration according to Ayuk, is making efforts to revitalise at least one primary healthcare centre in each political ward in the state to address shortages in infrastructure, human resources and other services, as well as capture existing gaps across the State in the 2024 budget for a complete overhaul of the health sector.
The Health Commissioner further appealed to Cross Rivererians to be patient as the present health care situation though an inherited liability and not peculiar to only Cross River State, the Otu-led government is resolved to revamp the health sector of the State.
Meanwhile, the State Government has commenced the engagement of new medical officers to boost health services especially in underserved rural communities in the state.
Ayuk in a separate development, said, “doctors have since been deployed to General Hospitals Calabar, Akpabuyo and Odukpani, while one doctor each has been sent to the primary healthcare departments in Boki and Etung Local Government Areas (LGAs) that have no public hospitals”.
