special covid-19 unit that would treat covid-19 patients in a unique way, with oxygen generated entirely within the system. The hospital is also equipped with a solar power system that ensures uninterrupted electricity supply and eliminates reliance on the national grid.
The governor commented about the hospital’s bed capacity. He said, “We have a total of 120 beds, plus an additional 20 for those, who are going into the recovery phase. So, we are going to have a total of 140 beds in the hospital. Massive!”. He added, “So, I am very excited this hospital will be the reference hospital for Africa, not just Nigeria. Before we took this design, we had studied all the hospitals in Nigeria in terms of all the critical equipment, even in Abuja, both public and private hospitals. We are convinced that the level of sophistication will be unmatched”.
The governor revealed about the robot drug delivery system in the hospital. He said, “Our dispensary unit has an outdoor station, you drive through, sit in your car and a robot delivers your drugs to you. You swipe your card, get your drugs and you are gone without any human interference. The human element is our secondary phase, should the robotic services fail you”. He added, “We also have a partnership with a German firm for a drug revolving programme and also with a Canadian team to support us with drugs. Of course, Cross River State has a pharmaceutical company. So, we will also be producing drugs as a state. The hospital will also buy drugs from Calpharm. I think the circle is completely proper and the social benefit is unquantifiable, it’s a thing of joy to me.”
In terms of employees, the governor stated that a team will be dispatched to Germany for extensive training six-months before the launch. The governor expressed delight over the partnership. He said, “We have a lot of Cross River doctors, who will be sent to Germany for training to come back here, because this is actually Cross-German hospital, a partnership between Cross River State government and Siemens under the catalysis of Coscharis. Our excitement is actually bringing the best hospital in Africa to Obudu.”
Ayade explained that the hospital was built at Obudu because the axis lacked medical services. He spoke about the ideal location of the hospital. He said, “Abuja is quite extremely out there, Lagos is far out there. And because we are building an international airport here and because Obudu Ranch Resort is a tourist attraction, we have high level, high profile citizens, who will be coming on tourism here”. He added, “The British Canadian University will be taking very elitist students, so we would not want any challenges. We will need a hospital that can provide for these primary footfalls that will serve as the initial base of patronage. I see Benue, Ebonyi, Cross River and some of the South South states coming here, because of the sophisticated level of equipment we will have here.”
