BREAKING: More trouble for UCTH as Contractor sets to seal facility used as isolation centre

Prof. Ikpeme A. Ikpeme, Chief Medical Director, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital. 

The contractor who built the Centre for Emerging Pathigens Research and Management (UCTH-CEPREM) , Mr Obi Achara has concluded plans to seal off the facility now used as COVID-19 Isolation center.

Findings also showed that the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH , has rejigged its own COVID-19 team to check the spread of the Pandemic

But there are concerns that the team may have been compromised already as many of them been "influenced" to maintain as well as protect only what the management wants out to the public, even if it is against protocol of COVID-19.

Checks showed that most members allegedly submitted their account details in order to get "honorarium" for their supposed cooperation in covering up the real situation about the isolation center and standard protocol on COVID-19.

Speaking with Mr Obi on Friday in Calabar, he revealed that the Management of the hospital seems to be comfortable with litigation rather than calling him  for a round table discussion which he said he was open to all in a bid to sort out the matter.

He however disclosed  that since the matter was now in court he won't comment on it but he added that all arrangement was now complete for the sealing off of  the Center.

Obi called on the  Minister of Health and NCDC to take a cursory look into the Isolation Center as there were a lot of things that have been swept under the carpet eventhough stressing that in the eventuality of any case, the place may not  be used.

He further said that even though the place was not originally meant to isolate COVID-19 patients but was converted and he only handed over the keys to them( UCTH mgt) for the interest Nigerians and current situation in the country.

"My goodwill has been termed stupidity even as my suppliers have threatened by life severally with death and kidnap of myself and my immediate family. My outcry seems to have fallen on deaf ears because I handed over those keys after several warnings that I ignored this was going to happen.

"I released those keys becuase I wanted to  save lives eventhough I was told that NCDC and state government were coming for inspection ,nobody talked about due process at that time ,but immediately they got the keys ,they started singing another song of due process and so on. I am now the villain and not the oppressed .

"I am appealing to the Minister for health ,the NCDC to kindly intervene before it becomes too late even though I am not praying that Cross River should have any case ," he said.

The construction by of the UCTH-CEPREM which started in 2016 was completed in 2017 in the hospital under the former Chief Medical Director, Prof Thomas  Agan.

In an earlier report, the Chief Medical Director, (CMD), Prof Ikpeme Ikpeme had said that they were not denying the fact that the contractor built the center but were going to pay him when funds were available .

His words: "We are not denying that we are owing him, but we pleaded with him to kindly hand over the place to us ,which he did and we promised to pay him when funds were available.

"We have not reneged on our promise and we dont have time lag as far as the payment is concerned but what we said in the agreement was that, once funds were available we will pay ,and we have not deviated from that".

Recall that the hospital has come under serious attacks over the alleged bad attitudes and unprofessionalism of some of their staff that has led to the death of many.