The Kano State Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Amina Abdullahi HOD, has dared the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in the state to go on strike, however, denying allegations of assault on a female doctor.
She made the denial in a telephone interview with a correspondent of a state radio ( Cool FM radio) on
Monday after the NMA called for her dismissal over the Saturday midnight incident at the Emergency Paediatric Unit of Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital.
The reported interview was, however, lifted by our reporter in her rejoinder to the statement credited to NMA, who accused her of the alleged outcome meted out to the affected Doctor
It will be recalled that the NMA had issued an ultimatum to the Kano State Government, calling for the immediate dismissal of the commissioner following her alleged assault on a female doctor.
According to the NMA, in a statement, the altercation reportedly stemmed from the unavailability of a prescribed medication, a matter outside the doctor’s control, as she was managing over 100 patients alone.
However, following the despicable act, the NMA Kano threatened to suspend medical services at the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital within 48 hours if their demands were not met.
While reacting, the commissioner retorted, “Let them go on strike now! They are not the ones that appointed me. My office is the humanitarian office.”.
The commissioner, who accused the health worker of negligence, narrated how she was ignored by the staff when she intervened in a situation where a patient could not get prompt treatment.
She stated, “I cannot even recognise her voice; I don’t know what she looks like because she did not respond to me.
“Somebody called me—her patient—she was knocking on the door of the nurse; the nurse locked the door and refused to attend to the patient.
And the patient was fainting. I rushed from a wedding to the hospital.
“When I got there, I met her on the table, attending to patients. I greeted her; but she didn’t respond. I greeted her secondly, but she didn’t respond. Then the third time I said, Nurse, what is going on here?
“Then she looked at me up and down, folded her arms on her chest, and went to her office and banged the door of her office. I went to my car stranded, and I was provoked.” She narrated.
Denying any personal confrontation with the doctor, Abdullahi said she called the Commissioner for Health and Secretary to the State Government, who did not receive her calls until the matter escalated.
According to her, “I called the commissioner for health five times; he didn’t respond. I called the SSG; he didn’t respond to my call.
“Later on, she called her husband and the CMO (Chief Medical Officer) of the hospital. They went directly to the door and knocked on the door. I don’t know what they discussed.”
The commissioner emphasised that the chief medical officer and chief security officer acknowledged the wrongdoings of the doctor and were instructed by the commissioner to submit a report recommending her punishment.
ALSO READ THESE TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
