Commissioner For Health visits Health facilities, Expresses dissatisfaction on healthcare services

The Honourable Commissioner For Health Dr Janet Ekpenyong in her quest for leaving no stone unturned through her knack and penchant for quality health service delivery in the state commenced routine checks of tedious inspections, proper supervisions, keen assessments and apt regulation of health facilities and health training institutions in Cross River State.

As part of her oversight functions and duties as Commissioner flanked by the permanent Secretary of the Ministry Of Health Dr Pauline Obute, Dr. Janet Ekpenyong made the call at The Lawrence Henshaw Memorial Hospital And Research Centre Calabar, to ascertain the level of activities and compliance to the visions and plans of the state government in ensuring prompt and quality health services delivery to Cross Riverians.

Consequently upon arrival she was greeted by a rousing welcome and received by The LHMH team of management staff as led by the medical superintendent Dr. Kenneth Takim who briskly proceeded to taking the team on a detailed facility tour to ascertain the state of infrastructure maintenance and service delivery in the hospital.

Speaking during the visit Dr Janet Ekpenyong expressed dissatisfaction and displeasure at the level and standard of facilities and activities in the hospital whilst charging the health workers to put in more efforts of the health and medical workers to ensure a top notched delivery of health services to patients. She however obliged to ensuring a bridge in the existing demands noting that the State government is doing her best in filling the existing gaps where and when necessary and will not renege on this commitment. She also informed them that renovation will commence immediately at the hospital, as the hospital will be offering general services and will also serve as a service provider for the state health insurance scheme.

In the course of the visit, Contextual matters bothering the facilities (The Lawrence Henshaw Memorial Hospital And Research Centre Calabar),ways of proffering solutions and possible ways of improving the quality of care in the hospital, solution was discussed that will lead to achieving the goals of reducing the lowest minimum level issues of reoccurring cases of morbidity and mortality.

The oversight duties is beamed to snowball and proliferate to all health facilities across the state in a to bid to ensure a resilient and robust health system that offers value for service which will lead to the effacement of morbidity /mortality indices across the State.

As part of key and salient factors to curbing these challenges, Character,Competence,Capacity,Team work and Problem Solving Ability in leadership were considered as critical and pertinent variables in achieving the set goals and mandate even as the team expressed positive optimism in their quest to weathering the storm.

Kenneth Anam
MOH,Calabar
Febuary 2023