The Cross River Government has promised to upgrade the Lawrence Henshaw Memorial Hospital also known as the Infectious Disease Hospital, (IDH), Calabar to a full- fledged General Hospital.

This was disclosed by Dr Henry Ayuk, Commissioner for Health, on Wednesday in Calabar, during an on-the-spot assessment tour of the hospital.

IDH was one of the facilities in the state heavily vandalised by hoodlums during the #EndSARS protest, alongside the Federal Neuro Psychiatric Hospital and others.

Ayuk said IDH was the only secondary health facility in Calabar South Local Government Area, saying,”if the Universal Health Coverage, (UHC) must be achieved, the hospital must be upgraded adequately to provide general service delivery.”

Expressing dissatisfaction at the slow pace of ongoing work in the facility, the commissioner assured residents of Calabar South of continuous advocacies to development partners to speed up their commitment in the rehabilitation of the facility.

Auk said: “Government will step up its advocacy to Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and others already supporting to expedite action in their commitment to the rebuilding of the hospital.

“I call on international and local partners who rely on the facility for health related data to intervene by supporting government to rebuild the hospital.”

He added that Gov. Bassey Otu had resolved to completely rebuild the hospital and get it to be fully operational within his first one year in office.

The medical superintendent of the hospital, Dr Kenneth Takim, who conducted the commissioner and his team round the facility, thanked them for visiting the hospital for firsthand information on the state facility.

Takim expressed optomism that the present administration, following its ‘People First’ mantra, would prioritise health revolution in the state, adding, “without healthy citizenry; there can be no meaningful leadership.”