AKSG to Collaborate With India on 20th Anniversary Specialist Hospital

 The reduction on medical tourism and capital flights will soon be a thing of the past in Nigeria. This will be made possible as the Akwa Ibom State Government is ready to partner with a medical team from India on Akwa Ibom’s 20th Anniversary hospital which is expected to cater for referrals of complicated cases from secondary health facilities. Health care delivery in the state has improved greatly since the advent of the of Governor Godswill Akpabio administration in 2007. According to the governor, these were deliberate plans to align with the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan that places premium on human capital development which can be achieved through a robust health care system.

The Governor stated the State Government’s willingness to partner with medical expatriates from India in running the on-going 20th Anniversary Hospital. The governor expressed this willingness recently when a team of medical personnel from India led by Dr. Kofoworola O. Ogunyankin and Mr. John Viyaru paid a courtesy visit to the Governor at the Governor’s office in Uyo. The team presented a proposal of partnership in the running of the hospital to the State governor; ‘we want a strong partnership that can create a niche in the health sector’ the team leader said.

On his part the Governor said ‘we don’t want to stop capital flight, but we want to minimize the number of people that die while trying to travel to Europe and India for medical check-up and to minimize the turn-out of Nigerians that leave the country. We would be glad to work with you where you will offer excellent services and you would be amazed by the number of patients that will patronize the hospital because they would be drawn to good services, best care and first-class treatment in a first-class hospital. We will look into the proposal because we are too ambitious and I hope the size of the hospital as you went on tour did not overwhelm your operations. We intend to build a living quarters, already we have about 500 housing units which have been roofed and we would create a section of the estate and give out 100 or 150 houses for the hospital personnel to be completed for occupancy before January next year .The governor also stated that he believes private individuals will build hostel-like hotels opposite the hospital so patients with long-stay cases can rent, and stay close to the hospital.

The governor said the partnership was important so as to reach a consensus to better the lot of Nigerians who have health challenges; he also disclosed that the government intends to bring certain areas of medicine to the hospital so better treatment could be offered to individuals. The governor maintained that the hospital won’t end up in partial services but will develop in other medical aspects. He assured the team of adequate security so they can work in a conducive environment.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ememabasi Bassey hinted that the team was delighted with the design of the hospital during their inspection of the site, saying that the hospital which is a world-class edifice would conserve foreign exchange in the training of medical personnel, and this will serve as one of the legacies of the governor Akpabio administration.

Dr. Ogunyankin expressed his delight at the infrastructure in the state especially in the on-going hospital, maintaining that their visit to the state was to partner with the state government in running the hospital when it is completed.

Source: AKSGOnline

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