UUTH CMD urges medical unions to suspend strike amid doctors’ dispute with the EFCC

Prof. Ememabasi Bassey, Chief Medical Director of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), has urged medical unions across the state to resume their duties and provide care to the public.

The appeal follows an incident in which EFCC officials clashed with UUTH staff, prompting the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), and other unions to suspend their services. They claimed that a leading cardiologist, Prof. Eyo Ekpe, was arrested and assaulted without justification.

Concerned about the impact of the strike on patients, Prof. Bassey spoke at a hospital press conference, calling on unions to cease their walkout. He also criticized the EFCC, describing the officers involved as overzealous and not reflective of the agency’s mission.

He reminded union leaders that while they retain the right to strike, they must consider the needs of critically ill ICU patients, accident victims, and newborns requiring urgent care.

In his appeal, the CMD stated: “We are urging our colleagues and unions to weigh the human lives at stake. Patients are suffering, and newborns and critically ill patients are at risk. Whatever grievances exist, human life must come first.”

He added, “The Accident and Emergency unit, the ICU, and even the Special Care Unit for babies should remain operational. My dear union leaders, I beg you to keep these doors open; the harm has already been inflicted, but we must not forget our vulnerable patients.”

The CMD noted that management, including the assaulted Prof. Ekpe, and senior staff were on site shortly after the incident to stabilize critical units and prevent patients from being abandoned.

He also urged security personnel to exercise restraint in their duties, assuring colleagues that the incident would not recur now that the Minister of Health, the Akwa Ibom State government, and other stakeholders had intervened.

The CMD further revealed that the disputed matter involved a medical report allegedly issued for a suspect under investigation. After verification, the report was found to be fabricated and never originated from UUTH.

He explained, “Some actors, working with lawyers or others on behalf of the suspect, opened a folder without official backing and produced a fake medical report. Verifying a medical report is a rigorous process, and after thorough checks, the document was confirmed to be false.”