President of MDCAN, Prof Ken Ozoilo, who addressed a press conference in Jos on Wednesday said it was unfortunate that while the federal and other state governments were making efforts to contain the spread of the disease in the country, officials of the Kogi and Cross Rivers Governments had continued to frustrate the efforts thereby endangering the lives of their citizens.
According to PUNCH, the President of MDCAN said,
“The posture of these two state governments has not only endangered the lives of its citizens but has also put the lives of our members and health workers, in grave danger.
“Reports reaching us from both states indicate that while there is evidence of increasing presentation of patients with clinical features consistent with the diagnosis of COVID-19 disease, agencies of the state government in both places continue to frustrate efforts of the medical personnel to institute testing for the disease.
“Our members in Kogi State have reported increasing numbers of patients with COVID-1- like illnesses especially at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Lokoja. Similar reports are emanating from Cross River State, with the latest figures including staff of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).
“While the Cross Rivers State government has been very lukewarm and unserious in its approach to testing, the Kogi State government has been openly hostile to all efforts to initiate testing. It is crucial to note that testing is a pivotal fulcrum upon which the entire management of the pandemic rests.
“Therefore, the overall control measures involved in the combat of the pandemic in these states are being sabotaged by the respective state governments.”
The MDCAN President called on the Federal Government to prevail on the two states to change their dispositions towards the fight against COVID-19 in the interest of all Nigerians.
It added,
“The danger in the attitude of both states is that even if the country succeeds in flattening the COVID-19 curve, Kogi and Cross River States are going to reinfect Nigerians with the disease
“Therefore, We condemn in very strong terms the attitude of both state governments in their resistance to testing and call on them to, as matter of urgency, change their stance and bring their approach into alignment with the efforts of the rest of the country and to offer their full cooperation to Agencies of the Federal government in the current response efforts.”
