THE HISTORY OF IMMANUEL HOSPITAL EKET FROM 1951-2016

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDIES

BACKGROUNG OF THE STUDY

            Man have lived under the curse of death ever since he fell into sin. It was as a result of sin that death came in and Sickness in extension is part and parcel of every community be it in Nigeria or outside Nigeria. Sickness can be seen as an unhealthy condition of the body or mind. And to the Christendom one way to bring back life is by involving in the works of mercy of which the Lutheran mission of Nigeria undertook. After many years of prayer and planning, a Lutheran hospital was opened at Eket. A consecrated Christian couple in the United States donated the original funds in memory of their daughter Kathy. Additional help was received from the government of Nigeria making it possible for the construction to begin in the spring of 1951.[1] Sir John Stuart Macpherson, K.C.M.G., governor general of Nigeria, participated in the corner stone laying ceremonies on June 20, 1951. When they first block of the building was completed two years later, Rev. Dr. Karl Kurth, the executive secretary of the syndical conference missionary board of North America officially opened the hospital  and dedicated it to the glory of God in a special service on May 2,1953.

            Immanuel hospital had its name from the Lutheran church, and as a missionary institution was administered by missionaries with the headquarter at Ibesikpo which provide all the medical assistant and equipment for the hospital. During this period the hospital was controlled by the whites and the facilities were brought in from abroad. The health condition at that time was very effective until 1967 when the Nigerian civil war took place. It was the Civil War that gave room for government involvement in the hospital, after which the church took over again until 1988 when the commissioner for health Obong Enoch Udofia announced government intention to take over and changed the name to Immanuel General Hospital Eket. In view of this, the research seeks to examine the activities in the hospital from 1951-2016.

STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

            Little or nothing have been written about Immanuel Hospital Eket, if at all mentioned they have done so in the light of the religious and health perspectives, that is through the Lutheran Church of Nigeria or the patients who seek medical attention from the hospital. This work seeks to narrow this gap by giving a documented history of the Immanuel Hospital Eket, identifying the economic aspect which has not been given much attention.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

            The study examines Immanuel hospital Eket from 1951-2016. In doing so, the study seeks to;

Investigate the growth and development of the hospital from 1951 -2016.

Examine the impact of the hospital on Eket people, socially and economically.

Investigate the relationship between the hospital and Eket people.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

            This study seeks to contribute to the already existing work which to some extent laid more emphasis on the Lutheran church of Nigeria based on the religious aspect and gave less attention to the economic aspect of the hospital. Also it will be beneficial to health practitioners, educationist, informed general public as well as other upcoming researchers for reference purposes since little documents have been made of the hospital.