OPINION: Re: Gov Otu’s Approval For Employment Of Medical Workers: Need For The Immediate Commencement Of The Unicross College Of Medicine And Health Sciences

Obun Cletus

The recent declaration by the Cross River state government of the employment of medical experts into the state's ministry of health is a welcome development but does not address the foundational challenges facing the health sector of the state. This, in my opinion, is like prescribing Panadol for a ravaging tumour that requires surgical excision.

This is because the health sector in the state has been in a comatose for some time now and is fraught with several challenges - among which is: the insufficient number of skilled workers. That’s why when news about the approval of the medical college by the State’s Exco eight months ago generated so much fanfare and commendations from Cross Riverians across board. But that elation has been short-lived because there’s still no sign on ground to signal the implementation and commencement of the much heralded medical college.  The proposed takeoff campus in Okuku, Yala Local Government Area, which currently houses the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences is yet to witness any facelift in terms of infrastructural upgrades or any meaningful changes. This calls into question, the Government’s commitment to fulfilling its promise because the odds are heavily stacked against us.

With a population of approximately 3.4 million people, the shortage of doctors has exacerbated the state’s healthcare problem. Apart from the federally-funded teaching hospital, post-COVID figures indicates that only 36 doctors and 938 nurses employed by the state cover the state’s secondary health facilities. This number translates into an alarming doctor-population ratio of 0.21 doctors per 10,000 patients—one-fifth of the Sub-Saharan African average. This pressure is exacerbated by the unavailability of tertiary institutions awarding these highly sought after Medical Degrees. The University of Calabar that is supposed to ameliorate the situation is usually burdened by the federal government’s position of enforcing federal character. The State is therefore unable to get a good number of her indigent citizens admitted into the medical programs which negatively impacts the number of indigent Doctors, Pharmacists, Nurses, Physiotherapist, Radiographers, Medical Laboratory Scientists and other health professionals.

These alarming statistics and the fact that Cross River state ranks among the lowest states in Nigeria with health professionals makes a compelling case for the immediate commencement of the Medical College in UNICROSS. The current location of the proposed medical college in Okuku Campus is geographically and politically ideal because it bring development and health services closer to the people of Central and Northern CRS.

Besides, the General Hospital in Ogoja and the Obudu-German Hospital in Obudu LGA can be upgraded to teaching hospitals that can be used temporarily by medical students. The upgrading of these health facilities will also aid greatly in reducing mortality rates occasioned by the unavailability of both man power and state-of-the-art facilities that the proposed medical school will attract to the area.  Additionally, this development will provide jobs for our citizens and also nip in the bud the incessant migration of our people to neighbouring states for their medical needs.

I am optimistic that this “People First” government will live up to its promises and will not end up like past governments that had a penchant for having “a hypertension of words and an anaemia of deeds”.  It is my hope that the government’s response to the challenges in the health sector doesn’t just end at giving jobs alone but must be followed up with a lasting solution that entails the immediate kickoff of the Medical college in UNICROSS. This will in the long run, revitalise the state’s hemorrhaging health sector, improve the quality of life for our people and restore citizens’ trust and confidence in the Government especially in this era of protests.

Obun Cletus Ph.D, is of the Department of Anatomy

University of Cross River State (UNICROSS)