According to the Minister of Health,Prof Isaac Adewole,the Ministry of Health has taken over the recruitment of staff from teaching hospitals in the country and will be done only once in a year.
The minister made this clear during the visit of the Chief Medical Director of the University of Uyo teaching Hospital(UUTH),Prof Etete Peters last Saturday.
The CMD who sought the permission from the Minister to recruit some consultants in Neurosurgery, Chemical Pathology, Dental Surgery, Endocrinology and Pathology revealed that lack of adequate funding has prevented the recruitment of over 141 staff approved by the federal government.
“The hospital is currently facing dearth of staff following massive retirement of nurses and other staff. “The challenges facing the hospital range from paucity of funds, inability to complete the ongoing infrastructural projects to the provision of more medical equipment,” the CMD said.
THe CMD also listed the uncompleted projects in the hospital to include Radiology Services Block, General Outpatients Block, Laboratory complex, School Block and Theatre Building. Peters also complained that facilities in the 520 bed hospital were over-stretched and as such the hospital needed more funds for expansion projects. Responding, the Minister promised to look into the 2016 budget for the hospital with a view to ensure the completion of the ongoing projects.
Adewole said that he would like to inaugurate the General Outpatients Building within the fiscal year so as to give the hospital enough space for Accident and Emergency Unit. He commended the Akwa Ibom government for announcing the release of N100 million for the completion of the General Outpatients Building out of the N150 million required.
The minister commended the CMD for maintaining services in the hospital in the face of lean resources and called for improvement.
He said that the 2016 budget was very tight and promised that more things would be achieved for the hospital in 2017 budget.
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