Would you like to receive notifications on latest updates of the following headlines?

A'Ibom assembly assures hospital MGT on improved subsevention

POSTED ON October 23, 2024 •   Breaking News      BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara
Hospital Care

The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Committee on Health has promised the management of public hospitals in the state increased funding and easier access to their budgeted funds.

The committee, led by its Chairman Hon. Moses Essien, made these remarks during an unscheduled visit to three public General Hospitals in the state to assess the level of commitment to fulfilling the ARISE agenda of the current administration in the health sector.

The Assembly health delegation, visited General Hospitals in (Awa), Onna, Eket and (Iquita), Oron Local Government Areas, respectively.

Speaking during his opening remarks at each hospital visited, Hon. Essien noted that the constitution and the Standing Orders of the State Assembly strategically authorize State lawmakers to carry out an on-the-spot assessment of government facilities from time to time.

According to him, the AKHA Health committee decided to pay an unscheduled visit to the hospitals on a fact-finding mission to better understand the daily runnings of the hospitals, how the funds approved are managed, and how well their operations align with the ARISE agenda philosophy of the present administration of governor Umo Eno.

Essien stated the oversight function has further equipped the lawmakers with adequate knowledge that the State hospitals are working and reliable, given that they have standard equipment which could comfortably handle major surgical operations, and commended the hospitals’ management for their high sanitary condition.

He also expressed delight at the modern medical equipment worth billions of naira at the state general hospitals.

The health committee chair regretted that the Management of the three visited hospitals were yet to fully access funds allotted to them, assuring that the committee would do everything within their powers to ensure those funds approved for them by the 2024 budgetary provision get to them in no distant time.

Equally, the Chief Medical Superintendent of General Hospital Awa, Onna, Dr Francis Inyang, while playing host to the delegation of the Akwa ibom state Assembly Committee, described the visit as a pivot for the development of the people of Onna and Akwa Ibom State noting that though the Management of the hospital makes the return of two to three million Naira monthly to the state government, it receives only eighty thousand Naira monthly as subvention funds from the government.

He highlighted that the subvention received from each hospital in the State as a running cost varies depending on the level of operation of each hospital.

” When our equipment gets bad, we usually rally around to fix it by ourselves selves, while waiting for the government’s support, which does not come many at times”.

While acknowledging the concerted efforts gained from the government, individuals, and Non-governmental organizations to sustain the daily running of the facility, he mentioned major challenges facing them including lack of adequate funds, and short staffing, amongst others.

He also used the medium to take the lawmakers around the facility ranging from the Haematology Lab, CT Scan, Biochemistry Lab, Accident Unit and theatre Suite.

At Immanuel General Hospital, Eket, the Chief Medical Superintendent, Dr. Idongesit Itaketo, said the hospital is running on a smooth course in tandem with the health programs in the ARISE agenda of the State government.

He lamented that the management of the hospital has not received ten million naira as made known to them by the committee, except the monthly two hundred thousand naira subvention fund from the State government.

Itaketo, however, disclosed that the surgical unit generates two to three million naira monthly, while the pharmacy makes about six million naira and goods and services generate two to four million naira monthly to Akwa Ibom State government coffers.

While noting that Immanuel General Hospital has enjoyed premium assistance from individuals and groups as well as a reasonable number of referrals within and outside the state, Dr Itaketo highlighted some of the challenges of the facility including lack of constant power supply, quarters for doctors and insufficient staff strength.

On his part, the Chief Medical Superintendent of General Hospital, Iquita, Oron, Dr. Sabastine Noah, has said that the Management of the hospital receives only two hundred thousand naira subvention fund from the State government.

He also noted that the Management of the facility was yet to access the ten million naira allotted to them as mentioned by the AKHA team because the fund was probably budgeted for a dental clinic, which he noted was not in operation at the moment.

Dr. Noah enumerated the lack of constant power supply, dental clinic and short staffing as some of the challenges they face in the facility.

Other lawmakers in attendance were: Hon Uduak-Obong Ekpo-Ufot (Etinan), Hon. (Dr.) Itoro Etim (Uruan), and Hon. Prince-Aniefiok Attah (Nsit Atai). They demanded to know if all the general hospitals in the state get equal amounts as a running cost and how they fix their deteriorating equipment, respectively.

 

READ ALSO
ECOWAS Calls for Unified Action Against Plastic Pollution at World Environment Day
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 18, 2025 0

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is calling for a unified regional effort from...

READ ALSO
Trump Proposes Visa Ban on Nigeria Amid Corruption Concerns
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 15, 2025 0

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has initiated plans to impose a general visa ban o...

READ ALSO
Nigeria's Crude Oil Prices Surge to $80 Amid Rising Tensions Between Israel and Iran
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 14, 2025 0

Amid the increasing tensions between Israel and Iran, Nigeria's crude oil prices surged to nearly $8...

READ ALSO
National Assembly Urged to Enact Laws Protecting Human Rights as Civic Space Diminishes
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 14, 2025 0

ABUJA, Nigeria - Amnesty International Nigeria has urged the National Assembly to urgently enact law...

READ ALSO
LASEMA Reaffirms Commitment to Flood Management as 2025 Campaign Kicks Off
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 14, 2025 0

LAGOS, Nigeria - The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has reaffirmed its readiness t...

READ ALSO
FG to Reclaim Dormant Oil Wells as NUPRC Implements 'Drill or Drop' Policy
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 13, 2025 0

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has informed oil producers of its inte...

READ ALSO
House Narrowly Approves Trump-Backed Cuts to NPR, PBS and Foreign Aid
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 13, 2025 0

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted narrowly Thursday to slash $9.4 billion in previously approv...

READ ALSO
Nigeria's $5bn Crude-for-Loan Deal with Aramco Faces Major Setbacks amid Falling Oil Prices
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 11, 2025 0

A $5 billion crude-for-loan agreement between the Federal Government and Saudi Arabian oil giant Ara...

OUR CHANNELS:

Moses Simon Completes Move to Paris FC for €7 Million
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 19, 2025 0

As reported by French news source Foot Mercato, Paris FC, a newly-promoted team in French Ligue 1, h...


Osimhen's Impressive Loan Spell Fuels Transfer Speculation
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 19, 2025 0

Nigerian international Victor Osimhen remains at the center of significant transfer rumors, with Ita...


NDLEA Calls for Collective Action Against Drug Abuse in Nigeria
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 19, 2025 0

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has urged Nigerians and state governments to take r...


Tor Tiv Urges President Tinubu to Foster Lasting Peace in Benue State
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 19, 2025 0

The Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse, expressed that President Bola Tinubu has the ability to bring lasti...


Desperate Investments: Why Nigerians Turn to Ponzi Schemes for Survival
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 19, 2025 0

At a modest internet café tucked away in Egbeda, a bustling Lagos suburb, 29-year-old Chidi O...


Benue Declares Holiday for President Tinubu’s Visit Amid Security Concerns
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 18, 2025 0

BENUE, Nigeria - To facilitate open discussions between residents of Benue State and President Bola...


Samuel Chukwueze Faces Uncertain Future at AC Milan Amid Transfer Speculation
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 19, 2025 0

The winger for the Super Eagles,Samuel Chukwueze,finds himself in a precarious position at AC Milan...


Tottenham Hotspur Eyes Raphael Onyedika as Summer Transfer Target
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 19, 2025 0

Tottenham Hotspur is in the running to acquire midfielder Raphael Onyedika from Club Brugge, heighte...


Can Memes Drive Voter Engagement? New Research Explores the Dual Impact
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 18, 2025 0

In Nigeria’s fast-scrolling digital world, memes are no longer just for laughs, they are part...


Dele-Bashiru Set for Role Change Under Lazio's Maurizio Sarri
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 18, 2025 0

Super Eagles midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru may be poised for a change in his role under manager Mau...


More Articles

Load more...

Menu