Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Akwa Ibom State Chapter, weekend, appealed to the state House of Assembly for speedy passage into law the Bill for the Establishment of the State Health-Care Waste Management Agency (SHCWMA) to reduce the exposure of the people to health hazards.
In a communiqué issued by NMA at the end of its 30th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Scientific Conference held in Uyo, and made available to StraightNews, the association said this would also reduce deadly pathogens that cause Hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS and Hemorrhagic fevers.
The body, however, expressed worry over the absence of a General Hospital in Uyo, 30 years after the town assumed the status of a state capital, and urged the state governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel to urgently address the situation.
The communiqué jointly signed by Dr. Aniekema Aniefiok Uwah and Dr. Nsikak Paul Nyoyoko, state Chairman and Secretary respectfully, noted that “A state government general hospital should be built in Uyo, as a matter of urgency as Uyo is the only state capital in the country without a government- owned secondary health facility.”
The absence of a general hospital in the state capital, the association noted, has adversely affected the health-care delivery services to the teeming population residing in the state capital.
The general hospital when built, NMA observed, would provide an avenue for the training of House officers and recruitment of newly qualified consultant and most importantly complement the health-care delivery services provided by University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH).
The association also advocated for the regular payment of subvention to the management of secondary health facilities in the state to enhance health care services.
