Following the protest that broke out at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti over the death of six doctors who died in an auto-crash along Kaduna road, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Lawrence Ayodele has pleaded with the staff not to allow themselves to be used for political gains.
The staff of FETHI, under the auspices of Senior Staff Association, had on Monday staged a violent protest over the doctors death , saying they suspected that the accident was spiritual and man-made .
Six doctors working with FETHI, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti and Ekiti State Hospital’s Management Board and their driver , on Sunday died in a tragic motor accident along Kaduna road while on their way to Sokoto to attend NMA’s Annual General Meeting.
Ayodele, who said the survivors in the accident, including the Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association in Ekiti, Dr John Akinbote are stabilizing, said it was rather unfortunate that he could be linked with the death of the doctors by some people just for political reason .
The CMD in his official reaction to the doctors’ demise on behalf of the management, commiserated with the deceased’s families and the state government over the death, assuring that necessary steps will be taken to give relevant supports to their families .
“We received the tragic death of my colleagues with deep sense of sadness. This is a trying period for all of us This is a huge loss to NMA, Ekiti State and Nigeria at large. I pray that the good lord will give all of us the fortitude to bear the loss.
“But it marvels me that people could link me with a death that happened in an auto crash in a modern world like this. This is very unfortunate and barbaric because the doctors of other hospitals were involved in this very sad incident.
“Should we now conclude that those that died in EKSUTH and Ekiti State Hospitals’ Management Board were killed by my colleague, Dr Kolawole Ogundipe and the state government? What they wanted to do is to heat up the hospital and create atmosphere of unrest which will not be in the benefit of anybody”, he said.
Meanwhile, former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Alhaji Tae Lawal and former members of the Senate and House of Representatives, Senator Ayo Arise and Hon Opeyemi Bamidele, respectively , have expressed their condolences over the doctors’ death, describing it as a national calamity.
Lawal, who prayed God to grant the families to bear the irreparable loss, urged the medical personnel handling the survivors to do all within their powers to ensure that these people fully recuperate to abate the grief.
Bamidele and Arise in separate statements appealed to the federal government and other stakeholders to fashion out means of making Nigerian roads safer for motorists, to prevent untimely death of innocent Nigerians .
In a statement in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday by his media Aide, Ahmed Salami, Bamidele bemoaned the doctors’ death and called for proactive actions by stakeholders to reduce carnage on Nigerian roads.
Bamidele , who commiserated with the people of Ekiti State , the NMA and the families of the deceased over the irreparable loss, said losing such professionals to the cold hands of death was rather regrettable and saddening .
The former federal parliamentarian solicits adequate supports for the families of the deceased for them to get over the trauma caused by the sudden death of their breadwinners in such a sad and calamitous fashion .
Arise , who said the incident was a national calamity, said : “It saddens my heart that six consultants working in critical sections of the state and federal tertiary hospitals could die in one swell swoop. These are not just doctors but consultants in various fields of the health sector.
“No blood of any Nigerian citizen worth being lost to avoidable circumstances. As Ekiti State declared three days of mourning, it should also be cognizance of the fact that the deceased’s families must be supported to lessen their grieves .
“We are appeased by the fact that they lived worthy lives and they left footprints on the sand of time as medical practitioners who led their colleagues and contributed to the development of this country in no small measure, he said.
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