…condemns vandalism
By Onwa Ekor
The Cross River government has described the action of students of the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS) who, Monday, vandalized facilities at the General hospital Calabar, as “unfortunate and overblown.”
The students had embarked on a protest following what they allegedly claimed as “poor medical facilities at the General Hospital,” when students casualties who suffered a tragic accident along the Calabar — Itu highway, were brought to the health facility.
Cross River Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Ayuk, who embarked on an on-the-spot assessment of the facility confirmed that infrastructure including an ambulance, electrical installations, doors, windows and ward equipment were damaged.
“We are assessing the extent of the damage. The ambulance screens have been broken, and parts of the hospital have been destroyed. We will also evaluate the impact on the wards,” he said.
Ayuk explained that, “the protest stemmed from a fatal road accident along the Calabar–Uyo highway, where some students reportedly died at the scene.”
He clarified that “injured victims brought to the General Hospital were promptly attended to, with critical cases referred to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) for specialized care.”
Ayuk added: “We responded immediately, coordinated with University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) and created space in the casualty unit to handle the victims with no deaths recorded at the General Hospital.”
According to him, “no patient died in this hospital. The deaths occurred at the scene. It is unfortunate that misinformation escalated the situation.”
Acknowledging the right to peaceful protest, the Commissioner said the destruction of public property undermines healthcare delivery, assuring that government would address gaps in emergency response.
Special Assistant to the governor on Nursing, Dr. Esu Coco-Bassey, condemned the incident, alleging that the protest was hijacked and fueled by misleading social media reports.
“The accident happened along Odukpani Road, not in this hospital. Health workers attended to victims promptly, but unverified information triggered the protest,” he said.
Eye witnesses described how the protest which was originally designed to be a candle light procession in honour of the deceased turned chaotic, after an angry mob stormed the hospital premises forcing staff and patients to flee.
They informed that the protesters invaded wards, damaged equipment and disrupted care, with some patients affected in the confusion, while many others fled the hospital out of fear.
