The Commissioners for Health in Cross River and Kogi states are to be prosecuted before a court of competent jurisdiction over their alleged unethical conduct in the fight against the spread of the dreaded Corona virus.
Meanwhile, preparatory to their formal trial in court, the two commissioners will first face a probe panel of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria for allegedly obstructing the activities of the Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) in their respective states.
National President of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Professor Innocent Ujah, who made the disclosure, the two health commissioners were reported by the NCDC to the Medical and Dental Council for allegedly playing politics with human lives in their respective states.
He said some doctors have to be sanctioned and be made to face trial in competent courts, adding that by their training, doctors are expected to be objective on issues affecting the well-being of humanity.
Reiterating further, Ujah, a renowned Professor of Medicine and former Director General of the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research described the conduct of the two health commissioners as not only worrisome but also unethical.
In a lecture with the theme: “Social Organisations, Human Rights and Covid-19 Pandemic” delivered on the 22 Anniversary and Founders Day Celebration of the Peace Corps of Nigeria, the NMA President held that contrary to the erroneous impression created by the two commissioners that Corona virus does not exist in their states, abundant medical evidence has established existence of the disease.
The NMA chief who took a swipe at the two commissioners said that the denial of presence of Covid-19 in the two states was politically motivated and unethical.
He said, “The truth of the matter in this country today is that Covid-19 is real. It has come and it’s throwing this nation into a big mess.
“It is a known fact today that the greatest challenge to humanity is the coronavirus. We do not need to wait till we begin to see dead bodies on our streets before we believe that the disease is with us.
“Regrettably, no age group is spared, the virus is just attacking anybody and we need to take adequate precautions to contain the virus because it may take a long time to get its vaccine.”
While commending the federal government for opting out of the WAEC examination this year, he noted that it will be a national tragedy to allow innocent children to be infected by the dreaded disease.
Ujah also praised the Peace Corps of Nigeria for its active support to the federal government in the fight against Covid-19, while calling on other youth organisations in the country to emulate the Corps.
