Posted by From Kelvin Ebiri, Port Harcourt on
SIX medical doctors have been suspended by the Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Mr. Solomon Enyidah for alleged negligence and gross misconduct which, included the use of their official residences as private clinics.
SIX medical doctors have been suspended by the Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Mr. Solomon Enyidah for alleged negligence and gross misconduct which, included the use of their official residences as private clinics.
The commissioner said the suspension of the doctors was aimed at sanitising the state's health sector. The doctors' suspension came on the heels of the sack of three staff of the state's Emergency Medical Services for refusing to attend to an accident victim less than 200 metres from where they were stationed.
During an unscheduled visit by Enyidah and the Chief Medical Director of Rivers State Hospital Management Board, Dr. John Nwidada to three state-owned hospitals in Omoku, Elele Alimin and Emohua, they discovered that the doctors were engaged in unethical practices.
At the Omoku General Hospital in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Council, the commissioner and his team who arrived at the place at 11.30 a.m. met scores of patients anxiously waiting to be attended to by the doctors who were not on duty.
When the commissioner asked of the doctors was on duty, one of them was at his official residence within the hospital premises, where he ran a private clinic.
Also at the Elele Alimini and Emohua General Hospitals, patients were also seen loitering about without being attended to as late as1.30 p.m when the commissioner visited the hospitals for on the spot assessments.
An infuriated Enyidah suspended the doctors, pending further investigation into the matter.
In a statement, the commissioner directed the doctors to report to the office of the chief medical director of the Hospital Management Board for further instruction.
Governor Peter Odili had recently ordered the sack of three officials of the Health Ministry for failing to attend to an accident victim along the Port Harcourt-Airport Road.
Angry passers-by had told the governor who stopped to attend to the accident victim that the emergency health workers had demanded bribe before they could attend to the victim who later died.`