by By Ukongikwen Adie
The Cross River State Commissioner for Health, Dr Janet David Ekpenyong, has charged Medical Supritendents In the state owned hospitals to focus on delivering effective health care to the citizenry despite the challenges of shortage of manpower in the health sector.
Dr Ekpenyong gave the charge during a review meeting and progress report on their performance for the year 2021/2022 with all Medical Supritendents of general and cottage hospitals in the state, held in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
In her words, “I want to acknowledge your efforts in your various hospitals despite the many challenges you are faced with.
“Despite these seemingly challenges, I charge you to do everything humanly possible to improve and focus on giving your clients quality health care from the moment they walk into the hospital.
“While waiting for government interventions, you have to make judicious use of your imprest to enhance facilities in your various hospitals”.
Ekpenyong further emphasized the need for the hospital administrators to improve on their revenue generation especially for hospitals that are primary health care facilities.
She assured of further interface with the Medical Supritendents to proffer solutions to their challenges.
Ekpenyong added that “With His Excellency, Sen Ben Ayade’s approval, more hands would be brought in at all levels to ensure quality health care delivery in the state”.
Earlier, the Medical Supritendents in the state owned hospitals, took turns to presented their reports, in the following order; Medical Superintendents of General Hospital Calabar, Lawrence Henshaw Memorial Hospital Calabar South, Eja Memorial Hospital Itigidi, General Hospitals Ogoja, Obubra, Akampka and Okpoma, Cottage hospital Akpet Central and the Eyecare Programme in School of Health Technology, Calabar.
Principal among the complains brought by the Medical Superintendents were: acute shortage of manpower, inadequate facilities, encroachment on hospital land, security and inadequate power supply amongst others as some of the challenges affecting their effective delivery.
They called on the government to employ more hands as they are currently grossly understaffed and as a result, health care delivery services are affected.
