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Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State has called on the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH, to help bolster the confidence of Nigerians in their service delivery.
He said they have the expertise and equipment to discourage overseas medical tourism usually embarked upon by people of the state and other well-to-do Nigerians.
According to him, the institution has always risen to the occasion each time an emergency arises.
He stated that the institution’s reported medical breakthroughs in several health scares that had hitherto taken people overseas for treatment should be sustained to attract international patronage.
The governor spoke when a delegation from the tertiary hospital called on him.
“The exploits at UCTH should help discourage overseas medical tourism through enhanced service delivery”, he stressed.
He reiterated his administration’s commitment to a mutually beneficial partnership between the government and UCTH.
Otu tasked the team to begin to prioritise local content in its recruitment processes, as well as other areas of the health institution.
The governor pointed out that his administration was doing a lot to strengthen primary health centres, PHCs and secondary health facilities to cater to the people’s basic health needs.
“We are strengthening our health insurance scheme to ensure that UCTH is effectively utilised in providing tertiary referral services for the benefit of Cross Riverians and residents alike,” the governor stated.
Meanwhile, Prof Ikpeme Ikpeme, Chief Medical Director of UCTH reassured the state government that UCTH, an 800-bed capacity health facility, remains committed to providing optimum health services to Nigerians.
He informed that medical and surgical procedures constantly taking Nigerians abroad for treatment were now effectively and efficiently handled at UCTH.
He appealed for state government support to enable the health institution to attend to the health needs of the people more optimally.
