From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
A Benin-based medical practitioner, Dr John Osameda, has called for adherence to a panel’s interview report on who becomes the next substantive Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Irrua Specialist Hospital in Edo State.
He also berated those trying to introduce tribal sentiments into a strictly medical issue.
Osameda, who is also a Medical Director of a private hospital, made the call while speaking with newsmen in Benin City following the recent happenings at the Irrua Specialist Hospital over the selection of its CMD.
Recall that a nine-member interview panel constituted by the supervising ministry, the Federal Ministry of Health, meticulously handled the selection process involving a series of tests and interviews among the five shortlisted contenders for the coveted position.
In the end, based on the outcome of the job test and interviews, the panel recommended Dr Mojeed Momoh for the CMD post
Of the five contestants, Dr Momoh was the only non-Esan. The others, including the acting CMD of the hospital, were of the Esan extraction.
This has however led to an uproar in the institution.
Dismissing the call for the review of the panel report as” wishful thinking” Dr. Osameda berated the Esan Descendants Assembly (EDA) and similar groups for trying to change the outcome of a process that has come to a logical conclusion
He added that it would be tantamount to setting a” dangerous precedent” if the federal government concedes to such a frivolous request, adding that there is no merit whatsoever in the call by EDA and similar groups simply because the panel’s report did not favour the host community.
Dr Osameda further posited that the Irrua Specialist Hospital is a common patrimony belonging to all Nigerians, including Edo people, stressing also that every one of us has a stake in its prosperity and future, not minding that the hospital must be sited in a particular community
Also speaking, Dr Efua Itsemeh, a retired consultant at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), scolded host communities who treat projects cited in their domain as a “birthright”, saying it is wrong to latch onto such as a license to want to “stampede” either the federal government or the rest of the states into submission
He praised the federal government for going the whole gamut of setting up a robust panel of experts to handle the selection process and urged it not to succumb to any form of threats but to remain firm and resolute in its implementation of the outcome of the panel’s report, stressing also that any contrary action would serve as a demotivation to the best brains applying for the available job.