The Akwa Ibom state government has said it has received 25 containers of medical equipment for upgrading general hospitals in the state to World standard.
The state’s commissioner for health, Dominic Ukpong, who disclosed this in Eket Local Government Area of the state, explained that the state imported 100 containers of medical equipment but 25 have been received and kept in Government House.
“We have imported 100 containers of medical equipment so that we can furnish all the general hospitals across the state. So far we have taken the delivery of 25, they are in the containers in the State House.
“Our plan is to reconstruct general hospitals first, ensure security of the equipment before equipping the hospitals,” Mr Ukpong said.
Mr Ukpong said that the state government would equip the general hospitals immediately the reconstruction was completed.
He also disclosed that the Ministry of Health had trained 20 biomedical engineers to repair medical equipment damaged in state hospitals.
The commissioner however lamented that many equipment in the hospitals were in bad condition.
He said that the ministry would train more biomedical engineers to repair damage equipment and put them to use.
Mr Ukpong further said that the ministry had reconstructed oxygen plant in Ikot Ekpene hospital to revive patients.
He said that the plant would produce oxygen for all the hospitals in less than two weeks.
He said the state government had paid consolidated salary owed medical doctors in the state.
“His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel has quickly approved it for them and that is being paid on a regular basis and we count that as a good achievement,” Mr Ukpong said.
Besides, the commissioner said that the ministry of health had 200 trained house officers to supplement insufficient doctors in the state.
He said that 15,000 people had benefited from free eye treatment, operated 1,500 patients and gave 200 glasses to beneficiaries during the outreach.
