Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, revealed that the hospital provides tertiary health services not only to the people of Cross River State but also to neighbouring countries such as Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and São Tomé and Príncipe.

Dr Osagie said this during the launch of a modern Neurosurgical and Stroke Centre at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH),

The facility was equipped and donated to UCTH by Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas Limited as part of Nigeria’s healthcare financing reforms.

Represented by Professor Emem Bassey, the Chief Medical Director of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Dr Osagie stated that the newly launched facility would offer access to high-quality healthcare to people beyond the residents of Cross River State and its environs.

He also highlighted the significant healthcare financing reforms that Nigeria has invested in to increase resources for health and extend primary healthcare services across the country, which includes building and equipping anti-pathogenic or isolation centres, intensive care complexes, modern molecular laboratories, and massive procurement of personal protective equipment across the country.

The Chief Medical Director of UCTH, Ikpeme A. Ikpeme, expressed gratitude to the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas Limited for their donation and emphasized the importance of the new facility, pointing out that stroke is the most common and traumatic emergency faced within the UCTH coverage area.

The Neurosurgical and Stroke Centre is equipped with 16 dedicated unit beds, two recovery room beds, one operating theatre suite, a consulting room, a pharmacy, sleeping rooms, its own dedicated water supply system, and an electric power backup system.