The Cross River State Government has renewed its commitment to completing the ongoing General Hospital project in Ikom Local Government Area, saying the facility will help improve healthcare delivery for people in Ikom and surrounding communities.
The state Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey, gave the assurance when he paid an unscheduled inspection visit to the project site on Friday, August 7, 2026.
Odey, who inspected the level of work at the hospital, was accompanied by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Ebge Ayuk, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Stakeholders Engagement, Mr. Pedro Eyet.
During the inspection, the Deputy Governor said the administration of Governor Bassey Edet Otu was committed to completing important healthcare projects across the state, especially projects that would provide better access to medical services for residents.
He said the government would look into the issues that had affected the progress of the Ikom hospital project and provide the necessary support to ensure that the facility is completed.
Odey stressed that the aim was not simply to put up another building, but to complete the hospital and eventually make it functional for the people who need healthcare services.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Ebge Ayuk, also explained some of the challenges that affected the project.
According to him, the project was initially planned around a Primary Healthcare Centre before Etayip Community donated land for the development of the present hospital site.
He said the change in location created some additional challenges, including the need to relocate farmlands and temporary structures around the new site.
The rising cost of construction materials also contributed to the delay in the project.
Ayuk said the government had taken steps to address some of the challenges, including compensating people affected by the relocation, acquiring adjoining plots of land and providing some of the materials needed for the construction.
The contractor handling the project, Engr. Eric Achu, explained that the project was originally planned as an upgrade of the existing Primary Healthcare Centre into a cottage hospital.
However, the Governor Otu administration expanded the project to a 40-bed General Hospital because of the healthcare needs of Ikom and neighbouring communities.
When completed, the hospital is expected to have male and female wards, consulting rooms, a medical laboratory and a radiology department.
The facility will also have ramps to make it easier for persons living with disabilities to access the hospital.
Achu took the Deputy Governor and other officials around the project site and provided an update on the work already completed and what remains to be done.
He expressed confidence that the project could be completed within schedule if the necessary support from the government is sustained.
For residents of Ikom and surrounding communities, the completion of the hospital could provide another important healthcare facility where people can access medical services without having to travel far.
However, beyond completing the physical structure, residents will also expect the government to equip the hospital properly and provide qualified medical workers when it becomes operational.
The latest inspection by the Deputy Governor has therefore brought fresh attention to the project and raised hopes that the long-awaited Ikom General Hospital will eventually be completed and opened for use.
The state government has assured that it will address the outstanding challenges and provide the necessary support to move the project towards completion.
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