an intensive Care Unit, a community clinic, an isolation center, and other facilities. According to the media, the process began in 2000 when the state’s former governor, Mr Donald Duke, visited the hospital in Calabar road. In his magnanimity, a land along the Tinapa Business Resort was gifted to the health institute by Mr Duke for its permanent location.
Dr Bassey Edet, Medical Director at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, FNPH, addressed the media following the facility’s grand ceremony at the permanent location. He stated that the facility was one of the attempts to expand access to healthcare, particularly mental health services. FNPH was founded in 1903 and is Nigeria’s oldest mental hospital, having remained largely in the same location since its inception 199 years ago.
Dr Bassey spoke about the facilities available at the new premises. He said, “We have an all-inclusive facility that will include ICU, community clinic, isolation center and more. We started this journey as far back as the year 2000 when the then governor visited and saw the need for us to expand because of the condition he saw at the time. We have had some detours since then until 2012 when we finally got a final approval before some level of development commenced. He further spoke about the facility’s goal and expansion.
He added, “This expansion and inception of further development on our permanent site is part of an effort to broaden the reach to our people and various communities in the area because from Calabar to Odukpani there is no tertiary institution with such a capacity, so it will serve a lot of people. We also want to render medicare especially mental health services including depression, anxiety, sleep disorder and so on. We want to urge the host community to protect the project because it is for the benefit of residents”.
According to Com. Ken Bassey, Chairman of JOHESU, the groundbreaking ceremony exemplifies hard work and excellence, noting that it will help decongest the old site and boost worker morale. Bassey expressed delight over the success and said, “We are glad for this milestone and it epitomizes hard work and excellence, it will go a long way in boosting the morale of the workers and there will be more offices and conducive working space”.
