By Tunde Abatan
In the heat of the outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic in the country, the federal government while battling to to stem the tide of the disease, announced plans to invite some Chinese medical personnel to share their experience with their counterparts here.
Despite opposition to the move by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), other medical groups and the public who questioned the rationale behind the invitation considering the worry about how well the Chinese were managing their own cases, the federal government still went ahead to invite and welcome the Chinese medical ‘experts’ with fanfare.
The 15 Chinese doctors were said to have also been quarantined as it is the practice of the government since the closure of Nigeria’s airspace when the lockdown all over the country commenced on March 30.
However, weeks after the arrival of the experts and the obvious increase in the number of positive cases nationwide, not much has been heard of the experience sharing by the Chinese medical persons.
However, when questions were asked about the whereabouts of the Chinese officials, the Health Minister, Dr Osagie Ehanire told a bemused nation that he didn’t know about their movements. He later on Monday together with Chairman of Presidential task force, Boss Mustapha, said the Chinese personnel were involved in the construction of isolation centres and equipment for managing the pandemic.
Notwithstanding the explanation, the question begging for answer are as follows:
Was there no clear agreement with the federal government on the actual role to be played by the medical personnel?
In whose custody were the doctors placed upon arrival?
Could it be that they were brought in by the several Chinese companies in the country who were obviously here to manage their businesses but have to pander to federal government in order to continue their business?
What, where and how many of such facilities have been constructed by the Chinese doctors since their arrival as claimed by the federal government?
Is it not curious that the health minister, chairman of Presidential task force and indeed our Information minister are ‘ignorant’ of the whereabouts of the Chinese who are in the country on official invitation.
Does it make any security sense, assuming the claims of the government is true, that nobody knows the whereabouts of the experts brought into the country to help with the pandemic we have on our hands?
The initial response of not knowing the wherabouts of medical team is rather unfortunate and gives room for the public to doubt the real purpose of their visit.
