For hosting doctors without approval, Wike fires Heath Commissioner

For hosting preliminary session of Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) without approval, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers has sacked the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Princewill Chike.

Wike announced the commissioner’s sack when the MDCN Chairman, Prof. Abba Hassan, paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Port Harcourt, on Monday.

The governor described the unilateral decision of the commissioner to host the doctors without the consent of the state government as ‘most embarrassing’.

He said that the state government did not request to host the preliminary session of the council.

Wike stressed that the commissioner erred by unilaterally scheduling hosting of MDCN for the same time government was inaugurating and flagging off of projects.

“Frankly speaking, I have never seen an embarrassment like this in my life. Everybody knows that it is not my nature to bring people and not attend to them. So, whoever has done this must suffer for it,” he said.

Wike also rejected the MDCN’s request for the establishment of tertiary hospital in each of their senatorial districts. He hinged this on paucity of funds.

“You have talked about siting tertiary hospital in each of the senatorial districts; this is not possible.

“That is why in Nigeria we have a problem. When you go for your budget, you put all kinds of projects. You know it cannot work. Where will you get the money to site the hospital in each of the senatorial districts?” he queried.

The governor said in order to improve citizens’ access to quality healthcare service delivery, his administration had embarked on construction of some zonal hospitals in Bori, Degema, Etche, Ahoada and Omoku.

He further said his government had also invested huge amount of resources on promotion of medical education in the state.

The governor called for reduction of the money accruing to the Federal Government from the Federation Account to enable states to have more resources to drive their developments.

Earlier, Hassan said that they were in the state for the 9^th preliminary session of the council and commended Wike for his positive attitude toward healthcare and medical delivery services in the state.