Lifeline Centre for Medical and Health Rights Advocacy (Lifeline Centre), has registered its disagreement with the decision to import Chinese medical personnel to help Nigeria fight the Covid-19 Pandemic.
In a statement signed by Professor Uwakwe Abugu, President Lifeline center to mark the 2020 edition of the World Health day, the center says it is joining its voice to that of other professional bodies who have kicked against the plan, describing the offer by China as a ” Greekoffer”.
Citing the law of registration of foreigners for practising in Nigeria, Abugu said bringing in the Chinese personnel would amount to breaking the law.
“Evidently, the Law on the registration of foreigners for the purpose of practising medicine in Nigeria as set out in the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act, Cap. M8, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 is clear and unambiguous. A foreigner who obtained a medical qualification from any institution outside Nigeria and who wishes to practice medicine in Nigeria must first satisfy the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, that his qualification was obtained from an institution approved by the Council. Upon the satisfaction of this condition precedent, he must proceed to submit himself to a test, screening and other due diligence to satisfy the Council that his training, skill, competence and character are such as would not jeopardize the life and health of Nigerian patients”.
“In this insalubrious episode, there is not yet any evidence that the doctors (so called) who are about to be rushed in and unleashed on Nigerian COVID-19 patients from China have met these condition sine qua non to interact with patients in Nigeria”.
“More worrisome is the fact that the records of COVID-19 infection, recoveries of patients and death so far in Nigeria, do not suggest that there is such emergency as to sidetrack the due process of the law for the protection of the same patients for whom these doctors are being brought in the first place”.
Lifeline Centre called on government to focus on other areas of priority in the healthcare sector.
“There is no doubt that ventilators are not only critical to the treatment and recovery of all COVID-19 patients but, in fact, all critical intensive care cases. It may be estimated that Nigerian hospitals would require over 5million ventilators to adequately serve Nigerian patients. With the prevailing scarcity of ventilators worldwide, it would have been thought that the government would be creative enough to discuss with and empower willing local manufacturers such as Innoson Motors Ltd and others to venture into manufacturing ventilators for local use”.
“Again, it is heart-rending that in Nigeria today there is no system of compulsory medical liability insurance and life insurance policies for all levels and classes of medical and healthcare personnel. Common sense would suggest that deploying energy and resources into these areas should appear to be more critical and same would serve as a morale booster for frontline caregivers who are daily risking their lives for the rest of us”.
According to Dr Abugu, the Federal government should ensure adequate provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) for front line workers as well as provide food for low income earners and vulnerable persons to enable them survive the lockdown.
“It is abundantly clear that we lack enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for our medical personnel for the war against COVID-19, and other infectious diseases. One is persuaded to ask, what efforts are the government making in ensuring that there are enough quality equipment for our frontline caregivers, or are they relying on the used and disused ones from China? The intriguing thing here is that most of these equipment do not require rocket science for their manufacture locally. Given government’s creative engagement with local manufacturers, our case will be different”.
“The point we are making is that if the government is really interested in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, it must first ensure that there are enough food and power for people to justify the Stay-at-Home Order”.
“Experience has shown that to flatten and/or narrow down the curve of infection and spread of the pandemic, sitting at home, maintaining personal hygiene and social distancing are critical. How do the government expect hungry Nigerians to obey a Stay-at-Home Order? The logic is that many would prefer to contact the virus looking for food than die of hunger at home”.
“Again, government should be more creative in tackling the more pressing issues of welfare of the frontline caregivers and the citizenry than insisting, against all well meaning objections, to bringing in Chinese doctors whose training, competence, character and good faith cannot be readily taken to the bank”.
The center expressed its appreciation to health workers in line with the World Health Organization’s theme for 2020 world health day.
” on this World Health Day 2020 highlights on the wellness of nurses and midwives as a restless workforce in the medical world, we at Lifeline Centre join forces to iconize them, while beaming a search light on the need for government at all levels to heed our clarion call to revolutionize our healthcare system , especially at this most challenging moment of fight against the COVID-19 pandemic”.
SIGNED:
FOR AND ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
, LL. B, LL. M, Ph.D, BL, ACS, Notary Public
(President)
a Not for Profit and a Non-Governmental Organization with the mandate of pursuing, promoting and enforcing the medical and health rights of Nigerians and championing advocacy for policy reforms and extracting professional accountability and best practice from medical and healthcare personnel is vehemently opposed to this idea for legal and strategic reasons.
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