Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, has donated three 32-seater buses to the Colleges of Nursing and Midwifery Sciences in Itigidi, Calabar, and Ogoja, describing the gesture as part of his administration’s investment in preventive healthcare and the training of future health professionals.
The presentation, held on Wednesday at the Governor’s Office in Calabar, aligns with Otu’s “People First” agenda aimed at transforming the state’s health sector.
Speaking at the event, the governor emphasised that preventive health measures are crucial to reducing medical costs and improving overall well-being. “The only way to cut costs is to make sure our people stay healthy. Prevention is cheaper than cure, and we are committed to strengthening that approach,” he said.
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Otu also announced plans to establish a “medical village” in one of the northern senatorial district hospitals to enhance access to quality healthcare while serving as a training hub for nurses and doctors.
He added that the state would continue to prioritise the training and retraining of health professionals and strengthen the State Health Insurance Scheme to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses for residents.
Receiving the buses on behalf of the institutions, Commissioner for Health, Dr Henry Egbe Ayuk, described the initiative as “empirical evidence” of the administration’s commitment to health sector reforms.
“Just a few years ago, we had only one accredited training institution, the College of Nursing at Itigidi. Today, through the governor’s vision and support, we now have four functional and accredited colleges across the state,” Ayuk said.
He explained that nursing and midwifery students undertake about 80 percent of their clinical training outside the classroom, making transportation vital to their education.
Ayuk assured that the buses would be used strictly for their intended purpose and appealed to the governor to extend similar support to the College of Nursing in Obudu.
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