Uyo -The Akwa Ibom Government says its 20th Anniversary Specialist Hospital is ready to offer specialised medical services that will stop Nigerians from travellling abroad for medical services.
The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Dominic Ukpong, said this on Tuesday in Uyo while conducting journalists round the hospital.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the hospital was inaugurated in May by the immediate past governor, Sen. Godswill Akpabio.
Ukpong said the hospital was poised for operations to end medical tourism in the country, noting that it had in stock the latest medical equipment and the best in the range in Africa.
The commissioner said Nigerians could access same services as the one they receive abroad when they patronise the hospital, adding that “the main reason we are gathered here is because of information about this hospital.
“We have been hearing all sorts of information about this hospital, that the hospital is not working and that the equipment were borrowed.
“We have the best doctors and the best equipment, the latest in the range in Africa, and that is why we brought you here to tell Nigerians.’’
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The commissioner responded to question why the hospital was not having patients if at all it had started operations and he explained that being a tertiary institution, patients were not expected to walk in and out, “patients have to be referred to this hospital to get attention.’’
He then conducted journalists round the major units and the CT scan machine being installed there.
More than 25 medical expatriates were present in the hospital by the time journalists were conducted round the facility and the Medical Director, Dr Femi Johnson, warned prospective applicants to be wary of employment racketeering going on in the hospital.
He said the hospital had yet to advertise for jobs and that nobody should pay any money for employment in the hospital.
“We will advertise for openings in the next few weeks and when we start, everyone will be informed,” Johnson said. (NAN)