UCTH CMD, Asanya vows to reposition hospital to accommodate 5m people

From Ene Asuquo, Calabar 

The Chief Medical Director of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital,, Ikpeme Asanya Ikpeme has disclosed that the hospital being an 850-bed facility, serves a Population of about five million people across Cross river state,

He noted that the neighboring states and some African Countries and is facing significant pressure as the only tertiary hospital serving sure a huge population. 

The CMD made the disclosure  in Calabar weekend while briefing journalists at the conference hall of the hospital shortly after taking them round the hospital on a facility tour

Ikpeme  said that he is  committed to reposition the hospital, making it the best in the country and the sub African region

He said that the facility gets patients from neighboring states, even get patients from neighboring countries like Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, even Central African Republic, stating that  there are always space constraints because thy are the only hospital that serves that large population.

According to him, “To address these constraints, the hospital is currently constructing a new Department of Emergency Medicine. 

The massive structure is designed to hold 406 beds and will feature dedicated trauma, medical, and surgical bays, a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and three large trauma theaters,” he said.

Ikpeme stated that the hospital is  growing faster than ever expected in its ability to handle complex medical cases therefore positioning UCTH as a leading tertiary health institution in the County and west African sub region

He maintained that the facility has moved beyond routine care to specialized interventions including hip and knee replacements, brain tumor surgeries, and advanced “keyhole”  procedures.

“We’ve got the equipment, we’ve got the personnel, we’ve got the training, and we’ve got the space.

“If your uterus is giving you a problem, we can take it out using a 1cm incision and cameras. If your appendix is giving you a problem, we can take it out and the following day, we send you home because we’ve done minimal access for you,” Ikpeme said.

He further explained that the facility has  62 clinical and non-clinical departments and is currently undergoing extensive renovations.