A member representing Ibiono Ibom State Constituency and Chairman of the House Committee on Health, Hon. Moses Essien, has disclosed that lawmakers in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly will soon commence a tour of the state hospitals to investigate complaints of complacency among health workers.
He made this announcement on Tuesday during an interaction with members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital. Hon. Essien also mentioned that other health institutions would be investigated, along with addressing failed amenities in state hospitals.
The House Health Committee boss disclosed that his committee was planning a meeting on Wednesday to finalise plans to embark on visits to general hospitals in the state, among other programmes.
He said, “We are not even giving prior notice to them that we are coming so that we get first-hand information on what is happening against the public complaints. Like the issue you raised, a medical doctor is supposed to be on duty to care for patients.
“He is not supposed to be in his house, keeping patients waiting. Sometimes they wait until emergencies arise before they come. That is not encouraging. And so we will embark on oversights at most of these hospitals on these issues so that we can draw the attention of the Governor (Umo Eno) to most of these challenges people are complaining about.
“We are already dealing with some that came to the House by way of motion. Like the Okorette General Hospital, where we dealt with issues raised by a member representing Ikot Abasi/Eastern Obolo Constituency.
“We summoned the Commissioner for Health, the Permanent Secretary of the Health Ministry, and the Hospital Management Board to appear before the House Committee on Health. We gave them three-day marching orders to go to the hospital and report back.
“Truly, those issues raised in the motion were real. They did fact-finding, and now those challenges have been fixed, just because of the visit of the Commissioner. We are alive to the duty of drawing the attention of the Executive to those areas for reforms and resolutions.”
The disclosure by the lawmaker came on the heels of a personal experience narrated by the Chairman of the State Correspondent Chapel, Comrade Bassey Anthony. Anthony had confronted the lawmaker on how the 8th Akwa Ibom State Assembly is responding to check the growing complaints over failing infrastructure and shabby services in state hospitals.
“My dad was very sick and spent time at the Emmanuel General Hospital in Eket. I noticed doctors are not always on duty. Most times, patients wait on end for doctors. And most times they don’t even come, and patients continue to languish in pain in the conditions they have found themselves in.
“Also, the environment of most of the general hospitals, from my experience at Emmanuel General Hospitals, is very unkempt; grasses are overgrown everywhere, prompting mosquito attacks. Patients come with mild ailments and encounter more critical health challenges because of the very dirty environment.
“You also have the misfortune of no power supply. Most times, patients light candles and phone touches to light their beds and take care of themselves in the night. There have been cases of poor power supply disrupting medical procedures and threatening patients’ lives in public hospitals.” Anthony had narrated.
The Tribune reports that through a motion adopted by the House Committee on Health, the State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, yesterday inaugurated the Agency for Akwa Ibom Health Insurance Scheme, signalling the activation of a law that has been idle since 2022 after passage and assent.