By BLESSING ODEGA

The Medical Director, National Orthopaedic Hospital, North Central, Jos, Prof. Iche Onche, said on Wednesday that the hospital had secured approval to recruit 204 staff members.

Onche disclosed this when the House of Representatives Committee on Specialty Healthcare visited the facility on oversight.

He said that the facility recently got approval from the National Establishment to recruit more workers.

He, however, said that the recruitment would follow “strenuous due process to ensure that the existing vacancies are filled.

“We are going through the ministry and I believe, in the next few weeks, we will have a waiver for employment.

The hospital boss also said that the renovation of the hospital had reached about 65 per cent completion.

“Our initial plan was to open our doors for services by April this year, but because of paucity of funds, we couldn’t.

“We cannot continue with the renovation but we believe that with the coming of the committee, a lot will happen when the members return to Abuja.

“The ministry is trying to set up an intervention fund for equipment.

“And on July 1, I am going to present our report card to the Minister of State, Health, and part of it is our request for funds,” he said.

Onche thanked the Plateau Government for rehabilitating the access road leading to the hospital.

The Chairman of the committee, Dr Alex Egbona, said they were in Jos “to see things for ourselves”.

Egbona said that they interacted with the medical director on phone and in Abuja but had yet to see the hospital physically.

He said that the hospital was approved in 2021 and that they were in Jos to inspect the level of work at the site.

“To our surprise, in spite of the lean resources, the medical director has done well, in terms of basic infrastructure.

“When we return to Abuja, we are going to appeal to the ministry to release funds for the hospital to take off effectively,” the lawmaker said. (NAN)

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