By Frank Ulom
The Chief Medical Director, CMD of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH, Prof. Ikpeme Ikpeme, has highlighted the institution’s growing capacity to handle complex medical procedures, while also dismissing allegations of ethnic discrimination in the recruitment of house officers.
Prof. Ikpeme disclosed this on Friday during a media tour of the tertiary health institution in Calabar, where he showcased ongoing infrastructural upgrades, newly remodelled wards, and the hospital’s expanding role as a referral centre serving patients across Nigeria and neighbouring African countries.
The CMD said the hospital had moved beyond routine healthcare delivery to advanced and specialised interventions, including hip and knee replacements, brain tumour surgeries, spinal surgeries, and minimally invasive procedures known as keyhole surgeries.
“We’ve got the equipment, we’ve got the personnel, we’ve got the training, and we’ve got the space,” Prof. Ikpeme said.
“If your uterus is giving you a problem, we can take it out using a 1cm incision and cameras. If your appendix is giving you a problem, we can take it out and the following day, we send you home because we’ve done minimal access for you.”
According to him, the hospital currently operates 62 clinical and non-clinical departments with about 38 wards and clinics, many of which have undergone either complete remodeling or facelift renovations.
He explained that some wards received cosmetic upgrades, while others, including the male medical ward, were completely remodeled to improve patient care and operational efficiency.
A major feature of the remodeled wards is the introduction of 10-bed bays, each fitted with a dedicated nurse’s station aimed at maintaining a one-to-10 nurse-to-patient ratio.
Prof. Ikpeme also defended the hospital’s policy restricting unrestricted movement of patient relatives into wards, saying overcrowding interferes with medical operations and contributes to safety concerns for healthcare workers.
“The place we were is actually the relative’s area. No relative should go inside the ward except the relative’s attention is required because it obstructs medical and nursing care,” he said.
He noted that the institution continues to face pressure despite its 850-bed capacity because it remains the only tertiary hospital serving an estimated population of about five million people across Cross River State, neighbouring states, and parts of Central and West Africa.
“We get patients from neighbouring states, and we even get patients from neighbouring countries — Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, even Central African Republic,” he stated.
“There are always space constraints because we are the only hospital that serves that large population.”
To address increasing patient demands, the CMD disclosed that the hospital is constructing a new Department of Emergency Medicine with a projected capacity of 406 beds.
The proposed facility, according to him, will include dedicated trauma, medical and surgical bays, a neonatal intensive care unit, intensive care units, emergency theatres, and three major trauma theatres.
Prof. Ikpeme described energy costs as one of the hospital’s biggest operational challenges but maintained that the institution was committed to improving healthcare delivery and communicating its achievements more openly.
“Somebody said we’re silent, but we’re beginning to talk. And right now, we’re out there,” he added.
During the tour, the UCTH management unveiled two newly renovated and remodeled wards in the Department of Internal Medicine.
The female medical ward, renovated in 2026, was named after Dr Obal Adiaha Otu, recognised as the first Nigerian female Internal Physician in the hospital between 1976 and 1982.
The male medical ward was named after Prof. Emmanuel Nwafor Uzoma Ezedinachi, described as a pioneering Nigerian Internal Physician at the institution.
Prof. Ikpeme used the occasion to deny allegations that some house officers were rejected on ethnic grounds, particularly claims suggesting that Igbo applicants were discriminated against.
“It is not true that we rejected house officers because they were Igbo. It is not the policy of the hospital and it is not something we do,” he said.
According to him, the affected individuals never had direct discussions with the hospital management before taking the matter to social media.
“They had no meeting with me. They probably only got to know me after they did what they did, and yet they wrote that I rejected them because they were Igbo,” he stated.
The CMD said accusations portraying him as anti-Igbo were misleading, noting that the hospital had just named a ward after an Igbo medical practitioner in recognition of his service and contributions to healthcare development.
“You have just seen us name a ward after an Igbo man. I don’t think an Igbo-hating Chief Medical Director will name a ward after an Igbo man,” he added.
He further revealed that the hospital’s current Head of Nursing Services is of Igbo extraction, stressing that appointments and promotions are based strictly on due process and seniority.
Addressing concerns over staff attitude, Prof. Ikpeme said the hospital had introduced both reward and disciplinary measures to strengthen professionalism and improve patient care.
He also denied allegations that emergency patients are rejected over inability to pay hospital bills.
“For emergencies, we do not insist on payment before treatment,” he said.
The CMD commended the administration of President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Health for supporting the hospital with infrastructure projects and modern medical equipment.
He cited the installation of a 1.5 Tesla MRI machine and ongoing renovations across the hospital as evidence of federal intervention aimed at strengthening healthcare delivery.
