By Our Reporter
Concern over the effective administration of public healthcare facilities in Cross River State has shifted attention to the need for the prompt implementation of an approved posting directive designed to strengthen leadership and improve service delivery at the General Hospital Calabar.
The concern followed the disclosure of an official memorandum to the media by a source who requested anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the matter. The June 29, 2026 memorandum, issued by the Cross River State Ministry of Health Headquarters and signed by Mrs. Mary Ntun, Director of Administration for the Honourable Commissioner, approved the redeployment of two medical officers between General Hospital Calabar and General Hospital Akamkpa.
Under the directive, Dr. Takim Takon was posted from General Hospital Calabar to General Hospital Akamkpa, while Dr. Kumar Prashant was redeployed from General Hospital Akamkpa to General Hospital Calabar to take over as Medical Superintendent-in-Charge.
The ministry’s memorandum expressly directed the affected officers to report to their new places of assignment and assume their respective responsibilities in line with the administrative decision.
However, the source who brought the document to the media alleged that several weeks after the directive was issued, its implementation had yet to take place, leaving the previous arrangement at General Hospital Calabar substantially unchanged.
The disclosure has generated renewed calls from community leaders, healthcare advocates and other stakeholders for the relevant authorities to resolve the situation and ensure that duly approved administrative decisions are implemented promptly in the interest of effective healthcare delivery.
For the stakeholders, the issue goes beyond the movement of individual medical officers. They believe that a stable and clearly defined management structure is fundamental to accountability, staff coordination, efficient resource management and the delivery of quality services to patients.
General Hospital Calabar, as one of the state’s major public healthcare institutions, serves a broad population and occupies an important position in Cross River’s health system. Stakeholders therefore argue that its leadership and administrative structure should continually be strengthened to meet the expectations of residents.
Particular attention has been drawn to the proposed return of Dr. Kumar Prashant, whose previous experience at the facility has earned him goodwill among some community leaders and health advocates.
Stakeholders who support his return point to his familiarity with the hospital’s operations and previous administrative experience, expressing the belief that these could be valuable in strengthening institutional coordination and restoring greater confidence among staff, patients and the wider public.
They also believe that implementing the posting order would provide an opportunity for a fresh administrative impetus at the facility and complement the ongoing efforts of the Cross River State Government to improve the quality, accessibility and efficiency of healthcare services.
The stakeholders consequently appealed to the Ministry of Health to give effect to the June 29 directive, stressing that prompt implementation would provide clarity of responsibility and enable the affected officers to fully assume the duties assigned to them.
They said the interest of patients and the overall wellbeing of residents should remain at the centre of administrative decisions in public health institutions, adding that effective leadership is indispensable to sustaining improvements in healthcare delivery.
According to them, resolving the administrative uncertainty at the General Hospital Calabar would send a strong signal of the government’s commitment to accountability, professionalism and improved institutional performance across the health sector.
They expressed optimism that with the appropriate administrative action, General Hospital Calabar can continue to strengthen its operations, improve patient experience and contribute more effectively to the Cross River State Government’s broader health-sector reform agenda.
