Judex Okoro, Calabar
The management of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH, has warned the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMSLN) to desist from fuelling further crisis in the health institution.
The management described the attitude of members of the association as very irresponsible and against the ethics of their profession.
A couple of weeks now, the association has been engaged in battle of supremacy with medical doctors over who should head the laboratory unit.
While the medical doctors insist that the law establishing teaching hospitals across the country and in line with Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, only their members can be head of departments, the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria argue that they are the right people to head the laboratory unit.
The laboratory scientists have also accused the management of UCTH of giving undue preference to medical doctors against the laboratory scientists students as well as using security operatives to harass their members.
Decrying the unruly behaviour of the association and their members, the Chief Medical Director of UCTH, Prof Ikpeme Asanye Ikpeme, said it was unfortunate that the association was peddling falsehood in the media space just to curry favour from the ministry and members of the public.
Ikpeme said: “The attention of the Management of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital has been drawn to the various misinformation and lopsided stories extensively peddled by the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria and circulated by the electronic and in social media. It is unfortunate that such blatant fabrications could emanate from the association.
“Among other deliberate fabrications, it is indeed worrisome that the death of a young man who collapsed and died on his private property outside the hospital and in the presence of his father could be politicised to seek unmerited attention.
“This is irresponsible unionism at its peak. As a responsible management, it would be an exercise in futility to join issues with already poisoned minds, apart from pre-empting the outcome of the reports expected from the panels of inquiry set up by the managements of the hospital and the University of Calabar to investigate the matter.”
The CMD, therefore, enjoined the public, stakeholders and staff to remain calm and disregard the rumours making the rounds about the hospital, adding that “truth no matter the level of concealment will be exposed at the appropriate time.”
The panel set up a few weeks ago by the management to is expected to turn in its report soon.