UUTH CMD Begs Doctors to End Strike Amid EFCC Controversy

(University of Uyo Teaching Hospital. Photo Credit: Daily Post)

The Chief Medical Director of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Prof. Ememabasi Bassey, has appealed to striking medical doctors at the facility to return to work, warning that the ongoing industrial action risks costing innocent patients their lives.

Speaking at a press conference in Uyo on Wednesday, Bassey called on the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to suspend its strike, which was triggered by the alleged invasion of the hospital premises by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The EFCC's visit was reportedly connected to an attempt to locate Prof. Effiong Ekpe, the Deputy Chairman of the Medical Advisory Council, over allegations that he had delayed authenticating a medical report linked to an active investigation.

Prof. Bassey stressed the urgency of the situation, noting that UUTH is the only publicly accessible federal tertiary healthcare institution in Akwa Ibom State, attending to between 600 and 800 patients every single day.

He warned that continued paralysis of medical services at such a critical facility could have fatal consequences for vulnerable patients who depend on the hospital for their survival, urging the striking doctors to prioritise the wellbeing of those in their care.

The CMD also raised concerns about the manner in which the EFCC operatives conducted themselves during their visit, alleging that the agency neither formally notified the hospital management nor presented an arrest warrant before attempting to remove Prof. Ekpe from his office a claim he described as a serious breach of protocol.

In response, the EFCC denied that its operatives invaded the hospital, with its Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Dele Oyewale, insisting in a statement that the operatives were present at the facility strictly in the course of an official assignment.