By Ita Williams
There was excitement at the Cross River State Ministry of Health on Wednesday as the Excellence Community Education Welfare Scheme (ECEWS) donated 14 units of 1HP Panasonic inverter air conditioners to selected public health facilities across the state.
The donation is expected to improve the storage of tuberculosis, HIV and other temperature-sensitive medicines while creating better working conditions for healthcare personnel.
Presenting the equipment, ECEWS State Director, Dr. Joe Umana, said the organisation identified poor storage conditions in some pharmacies and laboratories and decided to intervene.
“We are doing this to ensure an integrated system of healthcare delivery in Cross River State. We discovered that some pharmacies and laboratories were not conducive for storing medicines used in the treatment of TB and HIV. These air conditioners will help preserve the quality of those medicines and improve service delivery,” he said.
He explained that preserving the quality of essential medicines would directly improve patient care and strengthen healthcare delivery across the state.
General Hospital Calabar will receive four units, while Obanliku General Hospital and Okundi Cottage Hospital will each receive three units.
Other beneficiaries include Ogoja General Hospital, Akamkpa General Hospital, Ogoja Comprehensive Medical Centre and Eja Memorial Hospital, Abi, with one unit each.
ECEWS noted that the new inverter air conditioners would complement the solar power systems it had earlier installed in the beneficiary facilities.
Receiving the equipment on behalf of the state government, Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Egbe Ayuk, commended ECEWS for remaining a dependable development partner in the health sector.
“We are indeed grateful for this continued partnership. On behalf of His Excellency, Governor Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu, I assure you that these air conditioners will be properly deployed, monitored and safeguarded to enhance healthcare service delivery across the beneficiary facilities,” he said.
Ayuk also directed ministry officials to keep accurate records of all donor-supported projects, stressing transparency and accountability, while assuring that the donated equipment would be protected and effectively utilised to improve healthcare services across the beneficiary hospitals.
