Closure of N41bn 'world class' hospital - Akpabio keeps mum

Closure of N41bn 'world class' hospital - Akpabio keeps mum

- The former governor of Akwa Ibom state, Godswill Akpabio, has refused to comment on the closure of the Specialist Hospital in the state

- An aide to the former governor said Akpabio would not want to comment on anything that has to do with the hospital

- However, commissioner for health in the state, Dominic Ukpong, said the closure of the hospital is due to poor management

The former governor of Akwa Ibom state, Godswill Akpabio, is yet to react to the closure of the N41 billion Akwa Ibom specialist Hospital in Uyo.

Akpabio who inaugurated the hospital which he termed "world class" hospital has chosen to remain silent on reports of the closure of the facility.

Premium Times reports that the former governor who is the Senate's minority leader refused to speak on the matter when contacted.

The special assistant to the minority leader, Anietie Ekong, said the senator has moved on from being a governor.

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Ekong said the former governor would not want to comment on anything that has to do with the hospital.

He said: "He has finished his job in the state and has moved on. So, whatever happens now is for the state government to handle. The hospital was not his personal property.

“We believe that government is a continuum. Senator Akpabio has finished his bid and has moved on."

Also a former aide to Akpabio said the onus is on the managers of the hospital, Cardiocare Limited, to tell Nigerians what they know about the status of the hospital.

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The commissioner for health in the state, Dominic Ukpong, said the closure of the hospital is due to poor management.

However, the managers have on their part declined comment on the care for the hospital.

Cadiocare Limited denied comment when contacted on the issue.

But the former special assistant to Akpabio on diaspora, Clement Ikpatt, said since the government has made its remark on the state of the hospital, the managers are still expected to give their on part of the story.

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“I don’t see how a company would suddenly decide to scuttle the contract that they signed, pack their bags and move away. Something must have happened.

“There are some businesses that may not be very wise to shut down because of the nature of the service they provide.

“We know that there are state-of-the-art equipment in that place. We don’t want a story that after some months when it is eventually re-opened, somebody is going to come and tell us that the equipment that were bought were state-of-the-art as at that time, but now they have not been calibrated, they have not been used, and they are rotting away.

“If you don’t use the equipment and have them calibrated and repair as necessary according to international best practices, what’s the point of coming to open the hospital one or two years down the line?” he asked.

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He further warned the government not to contemplate selling the hospital but to scout for indigenes of the state who would manage the facility properly.

Legit.ng earlier reported that the commissioner for health in Akwa Ibom said the Specialist Hospital in the state has been shut down.

Ukpong said the hospital was shut down due to disagreement between the state government and the managers of the hospital.

He also said the managers had given excuses that the state government did not meet up with their own obligation in maintenance of the facility.

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Source: Legit.ng

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