Professor Eyo Effiong Ekpe is the Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Uyo. He is a Professor of Surgery and Honorary Chief Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, and an indigene of Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. He was appointed consultant surgeon in 2006 by UUTH after completion of residency training. He graduated from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, with the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)degree in 1997. He also holds the postgraduate Fellowship of the West African College of Surgeons (FWACS 2006), Fellowship of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (FMCS 2015) and Fellowship of the American College of Surgeons (FACS 2015).He has served UUTH, University of Uyo, his community, Akwa Ibom State Government and Nigeria in many capacities. He has been working conscientiously in the UUTH as consultant cardiothoracic surgeon since 2006.
He has also been appointed to serve in administrative capacities as Head of Department of Surgery in the UUTH and University of Uyo, the Director of Institute of Health Research and Development in UUTH, member representing Faculty of Clinical Sciences in the University of Uyo Research and Development Committee, Editor, Ibom Medical Journal of the Nigerian Medical Association, Akwa Ibom State Branch and leader of Fact-finding Committee on intramural private practice to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos and the University College Hospital, Ibadan. He has organized, supervised, and participated in free medical and surgical outreaches sponsored by companies, individuals, Associations and Non-governmental Organizations in various parts of Akwa Ibom State, and has organized health awareness campaigns on contemporary topics to audiences in Akwa Ibom State and other states, and on television and radio stations. These and many more have added up to endow him with good cognate administrative experience.
He has contributed in the training of medical students in University of Uyo, House Officers in UUTH and General Hospitals in Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Health/Hospital Management Board as a visiting consultant surgeon, trains resident doctors in surgical specialties and delivers continuing medical education lectures in many fora. He also delivers postgraduate medical lectures. He is a peer reviewer to medical journals, examiner to postgraduate medical college, external examiner to university, internal and external assessor to many universities. As a clinical researcher and medical educator, he has undertaken many researches through self-sponsorship and government-sponsorship. The findings of these researches have contributed to his national and international conference presentations and publication of 59 scientific papers.
He has received local, national and international awards including the Award of Excellence by the Nigerian Medical Association, Akwa Ibom State (2022), Best Consultant of the Year’s Award of Excellence by the Association of Resident Doctors (2021), ASCAF President Prize of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria(2018), Community Surgeon Travel Award of the American College of Surgeons (2014), Abia State Government Merit Award for the Best Youth Corps Member (1999), Archives of Ibadan Medicine Award of the University College Hospital, Ibadan (2005), and many awards of excellence by youths’, students’ and parents-teachers’ associations. As the Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, he assists the Chief Medical Director (CMD) to monitor the clinical performance throughout the hospital and promote the culture of excellence in patient safety, clinical research, training services, quality of care, and patient experience and satisfaction, and to ensure that patients have access to adequate and appropriate medical staff on a timely manner. Since UUTH’s core agenda include the delivery of timely and quality clinical services, he tasks himself with the responsibility of medical governance oversight which entails ensuring that the culture of UUTH is team-based, fact-based, client-based, and towards the achievement of the vision of the hospital. He also works with the CMD and Management to lead and guide the development, approval, and implementation of specific best clinical practices and patient-care related policies and procedures. Additionally, he assists to ensure that there is cohesion between all stakeholders in clinical referral, clinical research and training in the process of healthcare delivery. He also assists the CMD and Management of UUTH to provide overall clinical leadership and operational management to all areas of the clinical and non-clinical services. This involves a varied role where he works across all clinical areas of the hospital, and collaboratively with numerous internal and group-level stakeholders. He is respectfully responsible to the CMD while supervising all departments/units of UUTH undertaking the provision of clinical services to clients (both in-patients and out-patients), ensuring strengthening of health management, and improving human resources and capacity building in health services. As the Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee ,Professor Eyo E. Ekpe serves with dedication towards the improvement and sustenance of high-standard healthcare services which is the priority of the CMD, by obeying and carrying out the directives of the CMD. He is able to do these because of his previous administrative experiences as head of unit and head of department, and experiences as a clinician in the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria; University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu; University College Hospital, Ibadan; University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin; and UUTH, Uyo. He has also had physical exposure to the health services of London Bridge Hospital, London, and knowledge of the operations of other hospitals within and outside Africa through interaction with other medical practitioners across the globe during professional conferences and meetings. He therefore works in the vision of the CMD to see UUTH rapidly becomes a state-of-the-art tertiary healthcare institution.