COVID-19 Exposed Nigerian Govt’s Poor Health Sector Funding – Ex-UUTH Director

The immediate past Chief Medical Director of the University of Uyo Teaching hospital, Professor Etete Peters, have expressed dismay over the funding of healthcare institutions in the country, saying the COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed the lapses in the sector.

Professor Peters stated this at the UUTH while fielding questions from newsmen shortly after the commissioning the new general Out-patient department.

The professor explained that the conditions of most tertiary institutions as pathetic and called on the federal, states and other relevant agencies of government to use the opportunity exposed by the pandemic to improve the health sector.

A lot of people have expressed dismay over the extent of the funding of healthcare institutions in the country, which has further been exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“We have also discovered that there were a lot of deficiencies in the healthcare sector. But I strongly believe that the government will use the opportunity to improve on the healthcare needs of our people. Many hospitals are so pathetic but we will continue to call on the federal, states and other agencies of government to improve the sector” Peters said.

The Professor of Internal medicine who conceived the hospital project lauded the spirit of continuity of the hospital Management

In his remarks, the CMD of the hospital, Dr Ememabasi Bassey said COVID-19 made it imperative to prioritise the completion of the building and appreciated the federal government for it prompt releases which facilitated the completion of the building.

“It was our plan to decongest the hospital, even if there was no pandemic we would still have moved here, but COVID-19 made it imperative for us to prioritise the completion of the building and the movement to this building”.

“You can see the building is big and spacious and well ventilated, whereas what we were using as an Out-Patient department was really not suitable”.