The Chairman, Nigeria Medical Association, Oyo State Chapter, Dr Akin Sodipo has declared that the partial lockdown in the state is ineffective judging by the activities taking place in the state.
Dr Akin stated this while answering questions on FRESH FM, COVID-19 SITUATION ROOM, anchored by a popular broadcast journalist, Mayor Isaac Brown. He blamed the ineffectiveness of the partial lockdown at the door step of the law enforcement agents. He, however, lauded the measures put in place by Governor Seyi Makinde to curtail and contain the larger outbreak of the dreaded pandemic. He noted that Engr Makinde knew that total lockdown of the state would have severe consequences, hence,the reason for the partial lockdown and the curfew imposed on the state.
Speaking on the controversy surrounding the non inclusion of members of his association into the the State Task Force, Dr Akin said such is not peculiar to Oyo State but a national issue. He said, “the prerogative of the Task Force is the Executive Governor, people he thinks that must be on the Task force, mostly from what I can see, they are more of the ministry of Health officials who are medical experts as well as the ones from the University College Hospital, are there in their individual capacities not as members of the NMA.”
“Like I keep saying,I am not a politician, antagonist,the issue is not who is in the Task Force, it is the enforcement and the values the Task force are bringing on board. Officially, our association is not among the the Task Force,even the federal Ministry of Health has no nominee officially from the NMA on the Presidential Task force. He added that the Nurses and Mid-wifery Association has no nominees in the Task Force.”
Dr Akin further called for community testing in various Local Governments in the state while the Laboratory should be centred in Ibadan.
You would recall GOALPOACHER NEWS reported yesterday that the Coordinator of the state Isolation Centres, Professor Temitope Alonge debunked an online report,not from GOALPOACHER NEWS,that the state failed to involve members of the Nigeria Medical Association, Oyo Chapter. Professor Alonge described the report as malicious, unfounded and baseless. He added that the association was involved from the out set.
However, Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force has confirmed the death of a patient of the disease. The patient died at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. As reported earlier, one confirmed case was transferred to Lagos. So there are currently five active cases in Oyo State.
