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Judex okoro, Calabar
Management of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) has said there are no plans whatsoever to shut down an isolation centre at the hospital.
The contractor and Managing Director, Obi Achara Ltd., Obi Achare, had, during a press briefing in Calabar, threatened to use all legal means to shut down the centre.
Obi claimed that he had written series of letters on the need to offset N68 million owed him to no avail.
Dismissing the contractor’s claim as spurious, Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the university, Ikpeme Ikpeme, in a statement in Calabar at the weekend, said the management has engaged the contractor, Achara, constructively on the project and wondered why he should blackmail them publicly.
Ikpeme disclosed that a percentage of the contract sum had long been paid to him by the immediate past administration.
According to him, the contract for the isolation centre, which is the only one within Cross River, Ebonyi and Benue states for now, was awarded by the immediate past administration in 2017 following the out break of laser fever for N68 million only.
He said: “The current situation with the coronavirus pandemic is a matter of urgent national interest, and at times like this, the safety, health and security of citizens take precedence over any individual interest.
“It was in recognition of this fact that the current management acted proactively and approached the contractor to hand over the centre just as we have requested him to furnish us with every evidence of due process concerning the contract.
“Despite issues, which have to be corrected, the management has engaged Achara constructively on this project. Therefore, it is not right for him to capitalise on the COVID-19 pandemic to attempt to blackmail the hospital.”
He urged the public not to panic as the management has activated the isolation centre and put in place some proactive measures against the pandemic.
Some of the measures include drilling the nurses and other medical staff in readiness for any possible case of COVID-19.
The CMD further advised the public, especially patients without appointments not to be present at out-patient clinics as they will attend only to individuals with valid appointments just as they have discouraged non-essential visits to the hospital.
