COVID-19: NMA wants FG to probe Kogi, Cross River over coronavirus-free status
- The Nigerian Medical Association has urged the federal government to probe the COVID-19 status of Kogi and Cross River states
- Kogi and Cross River are the only states in Nigeria with no confirmed case of the coronavirus pandemic
- The NMA said investigating the states is in the interest of safeguarding Nigeria’s public health, especially as there are reports that the two states are discouraging tests for people with symptoms
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The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has urged the federal government to investigate the coronavirus-free status of Kogi and Cross Rivers states.
The doctors' association in a statement on Sunday, May 10, said investigating what is happening in the two states is in the interest of safeguarding Nigeria’s public health, Premium Times reports.
Legit.ng notes that Kogi and Cross River are the only states in Nigeria yet to have a single case of COVID-19.
However, there have been reports that both states are discouraging tests for people with symptoms of COVID-19.
Despite being surrounded by states with confirmed cases of the virus, the Kogi state government said it has no suspected case to be tested, further alleging that there is a plot by unnamed persons to ensure Kogi records cases of the virus.
Source: UGC
The data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) as of Monday morning, May 11, indicates that Nigeria has 4, 399 confirmed cases from over 27, 000 tests conducted.
Health experts believe the extent of the pandemic cannot be ascertained yet in the country due to the low testing.
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Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the federal government said its effort to help Kogi ascertain its coronavirus status failed because Governor Yahaya Bello-led government did not receive the health officials sent to the state with open arms.
Speaking during the presidential task force briefing on Covid-19 on Friday, May 8, Osagie Ehanire, the minister of health, lamented the hostile reception melted at officials of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) sent to the state.
Linking the development to "some differences," the minister added that the NCDC failed to achieve its mission in Kogi, prompting the members of the disease control agency to return to Abuja.
“We tried to send a team of the Ministry of Health and the NCDC into Kogi yesterday but there were some differences there to processes,” Ehanire said.
“This will mean that we need to re-engage the state governor again and work with him and his team to create the conditions to which the Ministry of Health and the NCDC can complete their job.”
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