The House of Representatives Committee on Health, has commended the Chief Medical Director, (CMD), Prof. Bissallah Ekele, of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH) on finished and ongoing projects in the hospital. The Chairman of the committee, Dr. Chigozie Obi, Representing Ideato North and Ideato South federal constituency of Imo State, gave the commendation during an oversight function to the hospital on the 17th March, 2021. Obi said they are on tour of the health institution to identify their challenges, strengths, weaknesses, procurement and staff strength for the development of health sector in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the projects visited by the committee include; the Trauma centre, Infectious Disease Centre, Cardiology and Optamology Units.
“We are here on oversight activities as mandated by the 1999 constitution of Nigeria as amended. We were unable to undertake this exercise last year because of some security situations occasioned by the ‘End SARS’ protest.
“The CMD has taken us round the hospital and we saw all the project at hand, ongoing ones and of course we didn’t see any abandoned projects.
“We saw the trauma center which was to be a PPP arrangement but which collapsed because it wasn’t supposed to survive, but we thank God that we are able to recover that trauma center.
“We also saw the infectious diseases center which is glaring with excellence. we also saw the cardiology and optamology units.
“On manpower I have asked the CMD to come to our meeting room in two weeks time so we can brainstorm to know the staff demands so we can help him take it up with the head of service and the budget office.
“So we want to use the opportunity to thank the Federal Government especially the Federal Ministry of Health who listened to us and gave reasonable budgetary provisions to this Health Institutions,” he said.
He also stressed the need for teaching hospitals to get back to their effective running capacity in order to improve their Internally Generated revenue (IGR) in the institution.
Prof. Bissallah Ekele, the CMD, thanked the committee on their oversight visit and promised to increase more structures in the hospital to help address health challenges in the country. Ekele said the hospital has moved from 350 bed space to 520 and with availability of funding, would increase the bed space especially at the accident and emergency units.
“I feel very happy at the visit by the Committee, even when they gave us a short notice but we were prepared and it was easy to take them round completed projects and the ones ongoing.
“They have come to see, and we also told them our challenges, funds appropriated and what we have used them for. The credit goes to the National Assembly for all they have done on our behalf.
“It’s a teaching hospital and we don’t think we have done enough but we have moved from 350 bed hospital to a 520 bed hospital yet we have challenges of bed space especially in the accident and emergency units.
“We will continue to expand structure wise because we fortunately have space but beyond structure is personnel an I am happy we shared this challenges because we need skilled healthworkers to work in all the departments,” Ekele said.
