Reps demand suspension of UNICAL CMD for rejecting doctors over tribe

The House of Representatives has asked the federal ministry of health to suspend Ikpeme Ikpeme, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) for rejecting doctors posted for one-year mandatory housemanship.

The CMD allegedly rejected a list of 17 names posted to the institution by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria on the ground that 15 of the 17 names are of igbo extraction depsite being a federal institution.

The House mandated its Committee on Health Institutions to immediately commence investigation of the allegations and report back to the House within four weeks, adding that his suspension would ensure he does not interfere with the investigation.

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This resolutionis sequel to a motion sponsored by Iduma Enwo, Lawmaker representing the Afikpo North/Afikpo South (Edda) Federal Constituency

Enwo expressed concerns that the CMD rejected the entire list in spite of entreaties from the National Association of Resident Doctors of the Teaching Hospital and the Nigerian Medical Association Cross River Branch.

He decried that the CMD stood his ground to reject the list on account of the high number of Igbo applicants therein.

Enwo argued that the CMD is in dangerous violation of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by rejecting a bona fide list of medical doctors by the regulatory body on ground of tribe and region.

“Ikpeme’s conduct is further compounding the challenges confronting our healthcare system and the efforts of the current administration, being that Nigeria’s fragile healthcare system is facing a critical manpower deficit as the number of licenced doctors has dropped to about 40,000, far below the estimated 300,000 needed to adequately serve Nigeria’s healthcare needs,” Enwo said.

“This House frowns at the conduct of this highly placed federal officer that encourages brain drain in the health sector and more importantly, further fractures the delicate ethnic fault lines of our union, leading to diversiveness, insecurity and instability,” he added.

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