The Chief Medical Director of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Prof. Ikpeme Ikpeme, says the facility does not require payment before treating patients in emergency situations.
Ikpeme made the statement Friday during a tour of the hospital in Calabar with journalists, saying the policy is aimed at ensuring that saving lives takes priority over financial considerations.
He denied allegations that emergency patients are turned away for inability to pay, adding that indigent patients are typically treated first while payment discussions are handled later.
“For emergencies, we do not insist on payment before treatment begins,” he said. “Indigent patients are often treated before discussions about payment.”
“Our priority is to stabilise the patient and prevent loss of life. Let the public know that we do not insist on payment before treatment during emergency cases.”
Ikpeme said the hospital operates about 38 wards and clinics across 62 clinical and non-clinical departments, noting that many of the facilities have been renovated or upgraded.
He said the hospital now performs advanced procedures, including hip and knee replacements, brain tumour surgeries, spinal surgeries and minimally invasive, or keyhole, surgeries.
“We do keyhole surgery,” he said. “If your appendix is giving you a problem, we can take it out, and the following day, we send you home because we have done minimal access surgery.”
Ikpeme also said a new Department of Emergency Medicine is under construction to expand capacity for trauma care, intensive care and emergency surgeries.
He said the hospital serves patients from Cross River and neighbouring states, as well as from Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.
He commended President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Health for supporting the hospital with infrastructure and medical equipment.
