The Akwa Ibom State Government has declared two medical doctors wanted for allegedly abandoning their duty posts after being trained for years with state funds.
The doctors, identified as Uduakabasi Ita, a Consultant Radiologist, and Mfonobong Bassey, a Consultant Haematologist, were both staff of the state Ministry of Health.
At a press briefing in Uyo on Tuesday, Commissioner for Health, Ekem John, said the two left for greener pastures without fulfilling their obligation to serve the state first.
“The state government has repeatedly said that any medical personnel it trains are bound to first serve the state to cover the cost of the training before they will be allowed to leave for greener pastures,” John said.
He warned that strict action would be taken against the absconded doctors. “The Ministry of Health has declared them wanted. We will stop their salaries; track them until we find them. Any country they go to, we will go to the Medical and Dental Council of that country and we will stop them,” he added.
The commissioner appealed to the doctors’ families to intervene before matters get worse. “It is in their best interest to immediately report to the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Health as we will not be held liable once the Medical and Dental Council begins to sit. Now that they have not been invited and there is no issue, we ask that their families reach out to them to immediately report to the Ministry of Health,” he said.
John also stressed that medical officers trained by the state in future must serve the agreed number of years before they are allowed to resign or seek employment elsewhere.
He called on the two doctors to either return to their posts or refund the full cost of their training to the government.
The commissioner praised Governor Umo Eno for his focus on health reforms under the ARISE Agenda, noting that the governor had already declared a state of emergency in the health sector to ensure better service delivery.
