Lassa Fever: Blame FG For Abia Doctor’s Death, PDP Tells Nigerians

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has blamed the federal government for the death of Dr. Ndukwu Chizaram of the Federal Medical Center, Umuahia, Abia state.

Dr. Chizaram, a female doctor, who was only recently employed at the hospital, had died of the Lassa virus at the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Irrua, Edo state.

“The management of Federal Medical Centre Umuahia regrets to announce the death of her staff. She died of Lassa fever”, the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Abali Chuku had said.

Following her death, the PDP has asked Nigerians to hold President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) Federal Government directly responsible.

The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said “this promising and patriotic medical practitioner had to pay the supreme price over avoidable exposure to Lassa fever, because of the low premium the APC administration places on the lives of Nigerians and the health sector in particular.”

The party further described the failure of the APC Federal Government to provide medical personnel with the requisite equipment and facilities to effectively and safely discharge their duties, as absolutely wicked, inhuman and the height of insensitivity.

“While we are deeply pained by this tragedy, we are very worried about the safety of our health personnel in Federal Government’s health facilities following the established lack-lustre approach of the APC administration to health issues in Nigeria.

“It is indeed very sad that instead of addressing these health and sundry issues, APC leaders are frittering away our commonwealth on medical tourism in Europe while our hospitals had, in the last three years, sunk from the famed height attained under the PDP to mere consulting centers.

“PDP demands an unreserved apology from the APC and the Federal Government to the family of this doctor and the medical sector in general and urge them to come down from their high horse and take a cue from the PDP administration, in our effective handling of health challenges, particularly the Ebola outbreak and suppression of polio, among others.

“The PDP commiserates with the family of Dr. Chizaram as well as the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) over this sad loss,” the party said.