Doctors Challenge C’River Health Commissioner To Publish List of Doctors
2 min read
* As Commissioner Maintains Stance
Chiemeka ADINDU, Calabar
Cross River State government and the state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association are still fighting over the true figures of doctors in the state.
Speaking in a telephone interview, the state commissioner for health, Dr. Betta Edu maintained that her records were intact for anyone who wished to make their confirmation.
She said as the one in charge of health workers in the state, she had the exact number of doctors on her payroll.
The commissioner however noted that this was not the best time to fight over the number of doctors, but a time to join hands to train more medical professionals so as to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
Edu further cleared the air on the state government’s decision to recall all civil servants in the state from grade level 10 to resume work. “Cross River is a civil service state. The chunk of the state’s economy lies on civil service and if salaries are not paid at the end of the month, families will die of hunger.
“Let the senior officers resume work so as to prepare voucher and the nominal payroll to enable them get paid by the end of the month”, The Commissioner noted.
In a separate interview, Chairman of the NMA in the state, Dr. Agam Ayuk disclosed that as a professional body they were maintaining their ground on the press statement earlier issued on the matter.
He challenged whoever had a contrary record to make same public, pointing out that what was on the government’s payroll was far beyond what they had on ground in the state.
The state NMA boss also faulted the claim of the state government that they had an isolation center. He clarified that the isolation center in the state belonged to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH.
