May 13, (THEWILL) — The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Prof. Ememabasi Bassey, has appealed to medical personnel and the leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to suspend the ongoing stop-work action at the hospital following Tuesday’s confrontation involving operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Bassey made the appeal during a press conference in Uyo on Wednesday, expressing concern over the impact of the disruption on patients receiving treatment at the federal tertiary health institution.
THEWILL recalls that activities at the hospital were disrupted on Tuesday after EFCC operatives visited the facility in connection with an investigation involving the authentication of a medical report.
The situation led to tension within the hospital premises and protests by medical workers, resulting in a partial shutdown of services.
THEWILL also gathered that shortly after the incident and the ensuing industrial action by medical practitioners, a middle-aged man reportedly died at the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Unit, heightening anxiety among patients and their relatives.
Appealing for calm, the CMD urged medical unions to consider the effect of the service disruption on patients requiring urgent medical attention.
“I want to appeal to the leadership of the NMA and the unions to consider the lives of innocent patients who may lose their lives if left unattended”, Bassey pleaded, describing the hospital as the only publicly accessible federal tertiary health institution in Akwa Ibom State, attending to hundreds of patients daily.
According to the CMD, the matter originated from a request by the EFCC seeking authentication of a medical report linked to an ongoing investigation.
Bassey stated that an internal review by the hospital indicated discrepancies in the document presented for authentication, including the use of an outdated letterhead and the name of a doctor, who is not attached to the department indicated in the report.
He said the hospital had commenced internal verification processes before the arrival of the EFCC operatives at the facility on Tuesday.
The CMD further stated that hospital management was not formally notified before attempts were made to take Prof. Eyo Ekpe, the Deputy Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee, into custody.
While commending the anti-corruption role of the EFCC, Bassey called for adherence to established procedures when security operations involve health institutions.
Also speaking at the briefing, Prof. Ekpe recounted the events surrounding the incident, stating that he had informed the operatives that the authentication process was ongoing before he was escorted out of his office.
As of the time of filing this report, discussions were ongoing among hospital authorities, medical associations and security agencies to restore normal services and resolve issues arising from the incident.
