Chinese doctors that arrived Nigeria end their isolation period

The team of 15 Chinese medical professionals who arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on April 8, 2020, with medical equipment worth about $1.5 million, is expected to complete the mandatory 14-day isolation period today.

The team is expected to begin work tomorrow after the completion of the 14-day quarantine period. The invitation of the Chinese doctors by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 was highly criticized by most Nigerians especially doctors under the aegis of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).

But 13 days after the arrival of the Chinese medical team made up of doctors, nurses, and laboratory technicians, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire and the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 have failed to provide a tangible update on the Chinese team.

The situation has raised a lot of concerns and questions:Who are these Chinese doctors? What are their names, designations and specialisations? Have they completed the mandatory two-week isolation? Have they started work in Nigeria? What is the scope of their work in Nigeria? How long are they going to stay in Nigeria?

When these questions were put forward to the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, he said: “We are not the only ones getting supplies from China…even New York got 1,000 ventilators from them as donations. Start with this recent evidence of Chinese experts giving technical support on COVID-19 to many countries, including our former colonial masters.

A group of Chinese experts also arrived in the United Kingdom (UK) to help deal with the coronavirus, bringing medical supplies with them. That was the first official medical team from China to the UK to help its fight against COVID-19.

“I do not see the essence of dwelling on the issue of Chinese in the face of all our other challenges before us. Most nations were glad to get support and supplies from China.”

When contacted for an update on the Chinese doctors, the President, Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Aliyu Sokomba said  I know very little about the Chinese ‘experts’ and their mission in Nigeria.

“The position of the Honorable Minister of Health is that they are not here to render medical services, they are here to install and train on how to use the equipment donated by China as part of China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

“Nothing has been said about them since they arrived.” Also, when contacted on the same issue, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, told The Guardian: “This is completely in the hands of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH).”

President NMA, Dr. Francis Adedayo Faduyile, said that the association still rejected the importation of the Chinese doctors to help the country fight the novel coronavirus pandemic.

According to Faduyile, the NMA is never against donation or assistance of any form. “In fact, we have openly appreciated individuals and corporate bodies in the country and the Chinese businessman, Jack Ma, for their donations and collaborations,” he said.

The medical doctors said NMA members were also not averse to the sharing of knowledge and experiences but they pointed out to the government that different information technology (IT) platforms could be utilised through teleconferencing, Skype meeting, zoom meetings especially with the increasing use of telemedicine worldwide.