CALABAR, Nigeria (FN) — The Chief Medical Director of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Prof. Ikpeme Ikpeme, has rejected allegations of ethnic discrimination in the recruitment of house officers, dismissing claims that applicants of Igbo origin were deliberately excluded.
Ikpeme, who has led UCTH since 2019, said the institution does not operate any policy targeting ethnic groups. “It is not true that we rejected house officers because they were Igbo. It is not the policy of the hospital and it is not something we do,” he said during a weekend facility tour.
The controversy emerged after several applicants alleged on social media that they were denied positions due to their ethnicity. Ikpeme said the claims were unfounded and regretted that the individuals had not approached him directly before making the accusations public.
To underscore inclusivity, Ikpeme pointed to recent developments at the hospital, including naming a ward after an Igbo medical practitioner and appointing an Igbo professional as Head of Nursing Services. He stressed that appointments and promotions are based strictly on due process and seniority.
Ikpeme, a professor of orthopaedic surgery and former president of the Nigerian Orthopaedic Association, has overseen significant modernization at UCTH. Under his leadership, the hospital has expanded to 38 wards and clinics across 62 departments, introduced advanced procedures such as hip and knee replacements, brain tumor and spinal surgeries, and minimally invasive keyhole operations.
He also announced the construction of a new Department of Emergency Medicine to address rising patient demand. The facility will include trauma bays, intensive care units, and emergency theatres. UCTH, with an 850-bed capacity, serves more than five million patients annually from Cross River, neighboring states, and nearby countries including Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.
Ikpeme praised the federal government for recent investments, including the installation of a 1.5 Tesla MRI machine and other infrastructure upgrades worth billions of naira. He emphasized that emergency patients are not turned away for lack of funds, citing a new reward and disciplinary system aimed at improving staff professionalism.
The allegations of bias come amid wider debates in Nigeria about ethnic representation in public institutions. While polygamy and cultural practices often dominate headlines in domestic disputes, issues of ethnic fairness in recruitment remain a sensitive topic in a country with more than 250 ethnic groups.
