Nigerian doctors oppose call for Chinese team to help

THE Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has rejected the federal government’s invitation to a Chinese medical team to assist in the fight against the coronavirus (Covid-19).

Nigeria currently has 232 confirmed cases of Covid-19, with five deaths registered. A total of 33 people have recovered from the virus.

“It is embarrassing to the membership of the association and other health workers who are giving their best in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic under deplorable working conditions, and a fragile health system, to be subjected to the ignominy of not being carried along in arriving at such a decision,” said NMA president Francis Adedayo Faduyile.

The lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), inadequate testing kits and test centres nationwide needed urgent attention, he said.

The NMA was thus “dismayed” to learn that instead of attending to these issues, the government had invited a Chinese medical team to deal with the virus.

The NMA has urged government to expand the Covid-19 presidential task force (PTF) to include other critical stakeholders to ensure “robust engagement”.

Nigerian health minister, Dr Osagie Ehanire, had announced the invite to the Chinese doctors, nurses and other health care workers at the PTF’s fifth joint national briefing on the virus.

Ehanire also said a group of Chinese companies working in Nigeria had donated medical supplies to support measures to curb Covid-19. The donation included PPE and ventilators.

“An 18-man team of Chinese medical experts including doctors, nurses and other medical advisers shall come to assist us.

“I commend our front-line workers who are doing a great job in case identification and management,” Ehanire said.