Mirian Gom 
UYO, Nigeria – The Chief Medical Director of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Ememabasi Bassey, appeals to striking doctors to immediately return to work, warning that prolonged industrial action could endanger hundreds of patients relying on the hospital for treatment.
Speaking during a press conference in Uyo on Wednesday, Bassey urges the Nigerian Medical Association to suspend the ongoing strike triggered by the alleged invasion of the hospital by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The dispute follows reports that EFCC officials visit the hospital in search of Professor Effiong Ekpe, Deputy Chairman of the Medical Advisory Council, over alleged delays in authenticating a medical report linked to an investigation.
“Innocent patients may lose their lives if medical services remain paralysed,” Bassey says.
“Let us consider the plight of innocent patients who depend on the hospital for survival.”
The CMD notes that the teaching hospital remains the only publicly accessible federal tertiary health institution in Akwa Ibom State and attends to between 600 and 800 patients daily.
Bassey also alleges that EFCC operatives failed to formally notify hospital management or present an arrest warrant before attempting to remove Ekpe from his office.
“The EFCC did not formally notify the hospital management or present an arrest warrant before attempting to drag a professor out of his office,” he says.
In response, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale denies claims that operatives invade the hospital premises, insisting officers are at the facility on official assignment.
The standoff deepens concerns over rising tensions between healthcare workers and security agencies, while patients continue to face disruptions in medical services at one of Akwa Ibom’s major referral hospitals.
About the Author
