Chief Medical Director at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Prof Ikpeme Ikpeme has said that migration of doctors and other medical personnel is not a Nigerian thing and not peculiar to his facility.
In an interview, he said though a few have actually left but cannot confirm the exact number.
“Migration of doctors and other medical professionals is an international problem, not a Nigerian thing and not peculiar to UCTH.
“Professionals will always migrate to wherever they think that the pasture is greener.
“I cannot tell you the exact number of doctors that have left the UCTH but some have actually gone.
“At UCTH, we have tried to create a very conducive environment to discourage the doctors from leaving. We now have a better environment and equipment so that, for instance, anybody who is a radiologist will usually want to work in our Molecular Laboratory, Isolation Centre and ICU, which I think are the best yet in the country.”
He said the hospital has created many innovations that were not obtainable before, disclosing that if a doctor is on call, or working in the theatre they get fed.
“So those things are deliberately created to boost morale and enthusiasm of personnel and the federal government is also enticing them with better remuneration to stay.”
He strongly denied that he had embezzled the COVID-19 funds released by the federal government.
“I will not respond to or join issues with the social media that I embezzled COVID-19 funds. If it is true that I embezzled such funds I am not sure that you will see the ICU, Isolation Centre, Molecular lab and all the equipment, structures and upgrades that you are seeing all over this hospital. Right now we still have PPEs we got in 2020. It is not true that we embezzled COVID-19 funds.
“We received a total of N950m for COVID and N345m for the ICU, N370m for molecular lab, over N100m for PPEs and over N100m for the isolation centre equipment. These funds were specific and we did not have the latitude to choose the equipment and structures you wanted with the fixed amounts.”
