COVID -19 enhances healthcare delivery, says CMD

Prof. Ememabasi Bassey, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) says there have been positive impacts made in Nigeria’s healthcare system due to COVID-19.

Bassey said this during a meeting with media practitioners in Uyo on Monday, on the state of healthcare delivery system in the country.

He said that the lockdown which prevented highly placed Nigerians from embarking on medical tourism, created the need to look inwards to develop the nation’s healthcare sector.

The CMD said that critical surgeries hitherto conducted outside the country were successfully done within, pointing out that Nigeria is blessed with talented medical professionals.

Bassey, who was a former Commissioner for Health in Akwa Ibom, said the Federal Government made more releases and investment in medical infrastructure than any other government in recent decades.

The CMD, who conducted newsmen round the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, acknowledged receipt of the sum of N859 million funds released by the Federal Government to execute key COVID-19 intervention projects and programmes.

“The present Federal Government has invested in medical infrastructure than any other in the last couple of decades.

“For instance, during the pandemic last year, the Federal Government released funds to the management of UUTH to open a modular testing laboratory and other projects that could help in combating the virus.

“The hospital has in place a 10 – bed intensive care unit provided for, achieved 16 bed ICU, fully equipped with laboratory, mobile X-ray and mobile ultrasound scan.

“It also has a paediatric/neonatal intensive care unit,” Bassey said.

The CMD said he was working on completing between six to eight major projects for inauguration before the end of the year.

He assured that due diligence were followed in all contract awarded and executed under the COVID-19 intervention projects and other ongoing projects inherited at various levels of completion.

“Federal Government contract has a procurement process, which you must get right.

“It has an open bidding process and contract awarded. For ICU, you must have done a contract on a similar project; must be able to guarantee service and maintenance.

“Almost all the buildings we met on ground are ongoing. The General Out Patients Department (GOPD) is completed and furnished. I make bold to say that there is no government hospital that has a better GOPD in this country than ours.

“We have completed the radio diagnostics (CT Scan) building. The molecular laboratory building has been completed and fully equipped, awaiting commissioning,” Bassey said.