The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has rejected the plan by federal government to invite a medical team from China to fight against Covid-19 pandemic.
The NMA president, Francis Faduyile, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, April 5.
Faduyile described the plan as embarrassment to the membership of the Association and other health workers who are giving their best in the fight against the coronavirus under deplorable working conditions.”
Earlier, The Herald reported that Mr. Hassan Zaggi, President of Association of Nigeria Health Journalists (ANHEJ), had advised the Federal Government against accepting medical team from China to fight Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.
Zaggi, who gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said that Nigerian health experts could handle COVID-19.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, had on Friday at Ministerial Press briefing on COVID-19 announced that 18-man team of Chinese medical experts would soon be coming to support the country.
The medical team, comprising doctors, nurses and public health advisers, are coming to the country courtesy of a group of Chinese companies working in Nigeria.
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“We appreciate China for accepting to come and support our effort in containing COVID-19 in Nigeria.
“However, in my opinion, I don’t think we need them; we do not need China.
“As it is now, our health experts are not overwhelmed; they are doing well as far as I am concerned about handling the pandemic in Nigeria.
“Even though our confirmed COVID-19 cases are rising on a daily basis, however, when you also take a cursory look at the efforts of our medical experts, you will discover that they are doing well,’’
Zaggi noted that some medical experts and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) had earlier called on the government to take a different approach in combating the disease.
He said that even though the Chinese doctors had some experience in handling COVID-19 because it originated from them, Nigerian doctors had been doing exceptionally well in managing the situation here.
No knowledge is a waste, we can learn a thing or two from their experience in containing the scourge. Let’s accept the fellowship which is coming on a platter of gold.