C'River; Health Commissioner Lauds EU Over Calabar Fistula Center
By Ebi COLLINS
The Commissioner for Health in Cross River State, Dr. Henry Ayuk has expressed delight at the quality of work on display in the ongoing construction of the European Union/United Nations-supported Ultramodern Fistula Centre at General Hospital Calabar.
Dr. Ayuk, who made the assertion, Monday, when he inspected the project site at the premises of General Hospital, Calabar, said the Governor Bassey Otu-led administration is pleased with the progress of work, which is presently at 85 percent completion, and appreciated the EU-UN's Spotlight Initiative for funding such an important project in the State.
He equally thanked other partners who for contributing to the success of the project, while emphasising on due diligence and quality assurance to gauraantee durability.
"I am particularly delighted that this project will be ready for commissioning by His Excellency the Governor of Cross River State, Senator Bassey Edet Otu in the coming week This project was signed and started by me and I count it as one of our hundred days in office achievement. I appreciate the effort of our partners, the Spotlight Initiative, Ministry of Women Affairs, site engineers and all those responsible for pushing this project to this level. I encourage everyone to put in more effort in the completion of this project which would be a great feat for Cross River State health sector and Nigeria at large," the Commissioner remarked.
On his part, the site manager, Architect Ukpong Bassey assured that the project will be handed over officially to the Government for commissioning within the next seven days stating that the work is already 85% done.
Also speaking, the Chief Medical Director of General Hospital Calabar, Dr. Kenneth Takim, lauded the Commissioner for Health for his keen interest in ensuring that the project meets stipulated specifications. He stated that when completed, the Fistula Centre would open yet another channel of service at the Hospital.
"We are expecting stock in a couple of days to call this project a wrap. I congratulate the Commissioner and partners for creating this window and this will help in tackling fistula and gender-based issues in Cross River State," Dr. Takim concluded.
The center, when operational, will provide repair surgeries, care, and rehabilitation for victims of obstructed labour who end up with fistula and fistula-related complications. The center will also provide comprehensive treatment and care for gender-based violence.
Governor Bassey Otu is expected to perform the official commissioning of the project within November 2023.
