By Dapo Falade
Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has been called upon to immediately sack the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Betta Edu, for alleged unethical handling of COVID-19 testing in the state.
AIG Mbu J. Mbu, said this in reaction to an allegation by the state branch of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) against the commissioner, adding that her acts have put the residents of the state in a precarious state of health, allegedly resulting to the death of many people.
Mbu was variously a former Commissioner of Police, in Oyo and Rivers State and that of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), a former Commissioner of Police in charge of the Mobile Force (MOPOL), Commandant, Police Staff College, Jos and the Assistant Inspector General of Police 7, Abuja and Zone 2 (Lagos and Ogun).
He said, “In spite of denials to the contrary by the state government and its officials, the cases of COVID-19 infection are on the rise in Cross River State. The government is putting the life of the people of the state in jeopardy.
“While the Commissioner for Health has been acting in denials, facts, as proved by the state branch of the NMA, have indicated that more people are testing positive to COVID-19 in the state.”
AIG Mbu, quoting the famous philosopher, Albert Einstein, said: “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.
“I am calling on Governor Ayade to immediately sack Dr Edu who circumvented her professional vows, refused to serve her mandatory term after she returned from her post-graduate studies in London.
“The governor should tell us how many more have enjoyed in any foundation scholarship since he assumed office. Dr Edu should explain how she spent the N.9billion surreptitiously withdrawn from the local goverment councils.
“The people of Cross River State should be informed, if they don’t know, that some lackies in the state House of Assembly brought up a resolution authorising the deduction of N50million from each of the 18 local government areas in the state.”
Mbu, however, commended members of the state branch of NMA and asked Governor Ayade not to only sack the Commissioner for Health, but also be made to face trials for allegedly facilitating the death of so many people in the state.
The state branch of the NMA had, in a letter dated July 5, passed a vote of no confidence on the Commissioner for Health and also referred her to the NMA National Disciplinary Committee and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) for alleged unethical handling of COVID-19 testing in the state.
The state NMA, in the letter addressed to the Minister of Health, served a notice of indefinite withdrawal of medical services by its members in public and private health institutions and hospitals in the state.
The association, in the letter signed by its state chairman and secretary, Dr Agam Ayuk and Dr Ezoke Epoke, respectively, said it arrived at the resolution after it sat to deliberate on COVID-19 testing, surveillance, contact tracing, isolation, treatment and care for the infected.
Meanwhile, chairman of the Cross River State branch of the NMA has given an update on the position of the association as he said some of the issues raised in the letter to the Minister of Health have been handled by a delegation of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 and the Federal Ministry of Health that came to Calabar, the state capital.
According to him, the initial notice of withdrawal of medical services by NMA members across the state has been suspended since July 7, 2020, following the acknowledgement of the existence of five COVID-19 cases and promise by the government to do more on testing, contact tracing and care for those in isolation.
He said the five reported COVID-19 cases in the state have been officially recognised in the NCDC Situation Report, adding that the association has signed a resolution, with a promise by the government to do more on testing, contact tracing a d care for those in isolation in the state.
He said the association would refer the issue of the handling of testing to the MDCN investigative panel, adding: “We don’t have results of additional tests carried out so far, even though unconfirmed reports tell us that some persons have tested positive at the Lawrence Henshaw Memorial Hospital Laboratory.
“The University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) Isolation Centre had recorded, at least, 10 deaths but the cases either had results returned negative or they were not sent. That is the more reason we are asking for an investigation.”
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