400,000 Hospital Visits Recorded As Cross River Expands Maternal, Child Health Outreach

CALABAR, CROSS RIVER – The Cross River State Government recorded an estimated 400,000 outpatient visits in hospitals across the state in 2025, with community outreach programmes accounting for a significant portion of the healthcare services delivered, Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Ayuk, has disclosed.

Ayuk made the revelation on Thursday during the flag-off of the 2026 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Week in Calabar, where he reaffirmed the state’s commitment to expanding access to healthcare services for women, children and vulnerable populations.

The Commissioner said outreach interventions had become a major driver of healthcare delivery in the state and called for sustained support for programmes that take medical services directly to communities.

“In 2025, we recorded an estimated 400,000 outpatient visits in our hospitals. About 20 percent of these were generated through outreach programmes, while the Governor’s Wife’s NGO accounted for 65 percent of that number.

If a programme is contributing nearly 20 percent of our patient flow, then it deserves sustained support and institutional backing,” Ayuk said.

He noted that the state’s investment in community-based healthcare initiatives had yielded positive results, particularly in reaching underserved populations and improving access to essential health services.

The week-long exercise, scheduled to run from June 11 to June 15, is expected to provide free healthcare services across the state’s 18 local government areas, including routine immunisation for children aged zero to 15 months, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination for nine-year-old girls, micronutrient supplementation, malaria prevention treatment for pregnant women, and HIV and Tuberculosis screening services.

Flagging off the programme, the Wife of the Governor, Bishop Eyoanwan Bassey Otu, urged parents, caregivers and community leaders to take advantage of the intervention, describing it as a critical investment in the health and future of families.

“These interventions are free, safe and designed to protect the health of our families. A healthy child is the foundation of a healthy community, and a healthy mother is the strength of a healthy nation,” she said.

The Governor’s Wife described the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week as one of the most cost-effective public health initiatives aimed at protecting mothers, newborns and children from preventable diseases and health complications.

Director-General of the Cross River State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Vivien Mesembe Otu, said the programme was designed to tackle preventable health challenges through improved access to essential healthcare services.

According to her, the initiative remains one of the agency’s most important interventions and reflects the government’s determination to ensure that no mother, newborn or child is left behind.

Dr. Otu also commended the Governor’s Wife for her advocacy and support for maternal and child health programmes, noting that her interventions have continued to improve healthcare access for families across the state.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Cross River State House of Assembly Committee on Health and member representing Boki II State Constituency, Rt. Hon. Hilary Bisong, described the programme as a life-saving intervention that offers hope to vulnerable families and strengthens the state’s healthcare system.

Representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency equally commended the Cross River State Government for demonstrating political will through the release of counterpart funding and support for healthcare programmes.

Speaking on behalf of the WHO, Dr Rebecca Olatunde stressed the importance of extending healthcare services to hard-to-reach communities and ensuring accurate data collection to track beneficiaries and health outcomes.

The flag-off ceremony featured the symbolic administration of vaccines and presentation of healthcare packs by Bishop Eyoanwan Otu, signalling the commencement of activities for the 2026 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week across the state.

Health officials expressed optimism that the exercise would improve immunisation coverage, strengthen maternal health services and expand access to preventive healthcare for thousands of women and children across Cross River State.