By Kelvin Obambon
The Cross River State Government has officially expanded the operations of the Dr Lawrence Henshaw Memorial Hospital in Calabar, upgrading it from an exclusive infectious disease facility to a full-fledged General Hospital.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Henry Egbe Ayuk, disclosed this during an extensive oversight tour of the facility on Tuesday. He revealed that the hospital, formerly known as the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH), has shifted from its legacy mandate of handling only tuberculosis (TB) and HIV cases to providing comprehensive secondary healthcare, including maternal and child health services, and major surgical operations.
Speaking on the structural and policy transitions of the hospital, Dr Ayuk stated that the administration of Governor Bassey Otu is determined to holistically reposition the facility to serve the wider medical needs of Calabar residents, especially those in Calabar South.
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“Before now, this facility was just there to control diseases, TB particularly, and HIV. But now it is more comprehensive,” Dr Ayuk explained. “Fortunately, the name of the hospital has been moved from Infectious Diseases Hospital to Dr Lawrence Henshaw Memorial. In other words, giving it the status of a general hospital.”
The Commissioner noted that the facility now handles multi-departmental cases that were previously unavailable at the site.
“In this hospital now… you have paediatrics and O&G. If you are in labour, you have antenatal care here; you can come here and deliver. We’ve done a couple of general surgeries here. Even cesarean sections, we have delivered here in this hospital,” he said.
Addressing the state of the infrastructure, Dr Ayuk acknowledged that the hospital suffered severe devastation during the 2020 EndSARS protests, which left the facility stripped down to its bare walls.
Evaluating the ongoing recovery, the Commissioner rated the current level of restoration between 60 to 70 percent, noting that while essential services have been successfully restored, further optimization is required to hit 100 percent capacity.
“The damage was massive. Everything here was brought down – everything apart from the wall. They carted away everything. Even the wiring system was all vandalized, but it has been replaced now. Work is still in progress,” he stated.
The restoration includes the reactive activation of the highly technical Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory, which serves as a molecular identification center for drug-resistant TB, as well as temporary testing spaces for basic ailments.
“Some basic arrangements that have been put in place to provide general laboratory services, particularly the simpler services,” Dr Ayuk added. “The governor is determined to ensure that the general lab space that was destroyed is rebuilt. But while we are waiting for that, we are doing our best to ensure that at least people can come and collect their blood samples for malaria, for typhoid, and other basic conditions.”
The Commissioner stated that the expansion of services and physical rehabilitation are being funded through a strategic mix of state counterpart funding and development partnerships, moving toward a formalized Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model expected to launch within the next two months.
He also used the visit to clarify the administration’s long-term strategy, answering critics regarding legacy deficits in the state’s health sector.
“About 10 years before His Excellency came on board, there was nothing that was happening in the health sector, especially in this place… There was an embargo on employment of workers. The new young ones you see now have been engaged just about six months ago by His Excellency. Whatever you are seeing here is a design that has been strengthened by the present government.”
During the tour, the hospital management led by the Medical Superintendent, Dr Ndoma Lifu and heads of various units, briefed the Commissioner on current workflows. The Health Information Department, led by the Director of Health Records, Ms. Sarah Egbe, highlighted improvements in the patient documentation and filing systems despite space constraints resulting from the historic vandalization.
Responding to the records brief, Dr Ayuk announced that the state has begun piloting an automated, digital health data system. The electronic registry is currently being live-tested at the Calabar General Hospital, Akamkpa General Hospital, and the state Eye Center, with plans to roll it out to the Dr Lawrence Henshaw Memorial Hospital sequentially.
The hospital’s maternal unit confirmed that broadened clinical services commenced last year under a direct mandate from the Governor to scale down maternal mortality rates across the state. Outpatient departments (OPD) for specialized community-based treatments, such as multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), continue to run concurrently but separately from the newly introduced general outpatient streams to ensure strict infection control.
The management confirmed that the hospital currently has 84 medical and non medical staff, and that the facility is powered by solar and generator.
The Commissioner was accompanied on the tour by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Affairs, Mr Nsa Gill.
