The Chief Medical Director of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Prof. Ikpeme Ikpeme, has disclosed that to address the growing demand for emergency healthcare services, the hospital is constructing a new department of emergency medicine with a 406 bed capacity.
The project, according to him, will contain trauma bays, medical and surgical emergency units, male and female wards, children’s emergency wards, neonatal intensive care units, intensive care facilities and fully equipped trauma theatres.
Key highlights:
- Prof. Ikpeme Ikpeme announced that UCTH is building a 406-bed Emergency Medicine Department to improve emergency healthcare delivery in Cross River State.
- The new facility will include trauma units, ICUs, neonatal care units, and advanced surgical theatres for critical care services.
- UCTH currently has about 850-bed capacity and serves patients from Cross River and neighboring regions, including referrals from nearby countries.
- The hospital has upgraded several wards and now performs advanced medical procedures such as neurosurgery and minimally invasive surgeries.
- The management called for continued government and public support to expand infrastructure and improve healthcare services.
Prof. Ikpeme stated this during a facility tour of the hospital by members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), where he highlighted the scale of ongoing projects, federal government interventions and the hospital’s growing medical capacity.
The new emergency complex alone will require about 26 specialized incubators for neonatal intensive care services, he also said.
Prof. Ikpeme revealed that the hospital currently operates 62 clinical and non-clinical departments, with between 30 and 38 wards and clinics already renovated through either complete remodelling or major facelift projects.
According to him, most of the wards previously fell below acceptable standards for patient care before the renovations.
He explained that the hospital management adopted modern ward structures based on global nursing principles, where each ward bay accommodates a manageable number of patients to enhance effective healthcare delivery.
The chief medical director stated that the UCTH currently has a 850- bed capacity as it continues to experience pressure due to the increasing population it serves across Cross River State and neighbouring states, including referrals from Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and parts of Central Africa.
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He credited the federal government for supporting the hospital through critical interventions, especially in the area of power supply explaining that the UCTH is among beneficiaries of the seven megawatt captive power plant, facilitated through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), serving both the University of Calabar and the teaching hospital.
He noted that the intervention has significantly reduced the burden of energy challenges within the hospital despite rising operational costs
Also, Prof. Ikpeme highlighted several specialised medical procedures currently being carried out at the UCTH, insisting that the institution now competes favourably with top tertiary hospitals in the country.
According to him, the hospital now performs hip and knee replacements, sports medicine procedures, minimally invasive keyhole surgeries, neurosurgical operations including brain tumour surgeries, urological procedures and advanced radiological interventions.
“We can remove a diseased appendix and discharge the patient the next day because we now do minimal access surgery.
“We can carry out brain tumour surgeries and many advanced procedures people think can only be done outside the state,” he said.
Prof. Ikpeme further appealed for increased support from public spirited individuals, organisations and government agencies to help the hospital expand its infrastructure and procure modern medical equipment.
He said the management remains committed to improving healthcare services, upgrading facilities and positioning the UCTH as a leading tertiary healthcare institution in Nigeria.
