NMA Tackles Cross River Government Over Lack Of Transparency In Coronavirus Management

The Cross River chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association has accused the state government of lack of transparency in the management of Corona virus in the state. According to the association, the situation had put the lives of doctors in grave danger by exposing them to the deadly virus.

In a letter addressed to Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health, Agam Ayuk, Chairman of the NMA in the state, said positive cases in the state were not transmitted to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control situation report room.

The letter reads, “There has been no significant progress in the overall outbreak response in view of the NCDC strategies COVID-19 response pillars. Cross River Government should be encouraged to give the National Rapid Response Team the needed support to carry out their terms of reference in supporting the state’s response activities and ensure containment of the outbreak. The presence of two tests centres in the state was expected to lead to an upscale in testing. However, that’s not the case especially in the state-owned Lawrence Henshaw Memorial Hospital molecular laboratory.

It has been brought to our knowledge that the facility has carried out more than 50 test for COVID-19, yielding many positive results. To our greatest dismay, most of these positive results have not been transmitted to the NCDC situation report room. This lack of transparency and refusal to transmit confirmed result is a major cause for concern and capable of impending COVID-19 containment in the state. “It is very disturbing to report that the Cross River State Government have refused to activate the state-owned 100-bed capacity isolation centre at Adiabo for immediate use despite urgent need for the facility. The UCTH five-bed capacity isolation centre is the only functional isolation centre in the state. This isolation centre is easily filled up to capacity, leaving many confirmed cases stranded and returned home.”