Cross River, UNFPA Move to Revive Neonatal Care Services at Calabar General Hospital
By Ebi COLLINS
In a renewed effort to strengthen maternal and child health services, the Cross River State Government has partnered with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to rehabilitate and reactivate the Neonatal Unit of the General Hospital, Calabar.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Egbe Ayuk, made the disclosure during an on-site assessment visit to the facility, alongside the UNFPA team led by Dr. Andrew Kirima, Coordinator and Head of the UNFPA Calabar Office.
Dr. Ayuk explained that the visit was aimed at identifying the challenges that had rendered the unit non-functional and exploring strategies to restore it to full operation through a sustainable partnership framework.
“In the spirit of our existing collaboration with UNFPA, I led a joint team to the Neonatal Unit of the General Hospital, Calabar, to examine the challenges that have left the unit not functioning,” the Commissioner said. “After this short but significant engagement, the UNFPA team has graciously agreed to partner with the Cross River State Government to rehabilitate the entire unit and make it functional again.”
He described the intervention as a timely and strategic response that aligns with Governor Bassey Edet Otu’s health sector reform agenda, which seeks to improve access to quality, equitable, and affordable healthcare across the state.
In his remarks, Dr. Andrew Kirima commended the state government’s proactive approach, emphasizing that restoring neonatal care services must begin with a proper technical assessment of existing equipment.
“These machines are quite expensive, so the immediate step should be to determine which ones are still functional and which require repairs. Once that is done, we can advocate within UNFPA to provide the needed support,” he said.
Dr. Kirima noted that UNFPA’s collaboration with Cross River State extends beyond the Family Health and Reproductive Centre to broader maternal and perinatal care initiatives.
“It’s important that while we focus on maternal care, we also holistically look at both the mother and the baby, ensuring newborns get full postnatal care before going home.”
