Comrade (Chief) Sheriff Mulade
WARRI/Nigeria: An Environmentalist had expressed disappointment at the state of health facilities in Delta State, saying that the Novel Coronavirus pandemic had exposed that the state had never been prepared for emergencies despite the state had been privileged to be governed by two qualified Medical Doctors.
The National Coordinator of Center for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ, Comrade (Chief) Sheriff Mulade stated this while addressing some newsmen in Warri, the commercial capital of the state, on Wednesday, May 27, 2020.
Chief Mulade while expressing his disappointment on the state of the health facilities in the state, called on the Delta State Governor, Sen. Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa to concentrate more on the development and upgrading of the state health sector due to incessant delay of COVID-19 test results that has led to patients not being attended to on time by doctors and nurses which eventually leads to death for some.
He stated that Delta State has no reliable teaching hospital with the required basic equipment for proper treatment, research and medical test, despite the privilege of produce two practicing medical doctors as Governors, the likes of Dr. Emmanuel Ewetan Uduaghan and the incumbent, Sen. Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa.
He pointed out that it’s sad to say with the opportunity of both to occupy the echelon as Governors, the state in its length and breath cannot boast of standard hospitals.
Speaking of his expectations for the health sector of the state during the administration of Dr. Uduaghan and now Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, the Ibe-soromowei of Ancient Gbaramatu Kingdom Chief Mulade said, it is imperative to note that, with the privilege of two medical professionals in Government House, one would have expected Delta state to have the best of medical facilities and be rightfully positioned as a top State in Nigeria health care system which could also have attracted referrals on medical issues, but unfortunately the state does not have any quality healthcare facility.
On the issue of COVID-19 and death recorded in the state, Chief Mulade said that, the poor state of our health system is what COVID-19 has exposed us to, it is preposterous to know that till date, Delta state does not have any facility or laboratory to test for COVID-19, rather the state regularly takes blood samples or specimen to Irrua Teaching Hospital in Edo State for test and confirmation of COVID-19 test results, which usually takes up to 3 to 4 days if not more before test results are received, when then will the doctors and nurses start treatments for these vulnerable ones who may have been hit with the COVID-19 disease? Most COVID -19 death cases recorded in Delta are as a result of delay of test results coming from Edo State.
CEPEJ, national coordinator Chief Mulade is unhappy with how both Dr. Uduaghan and Okowa played down on their medical profession, stating that it is truly unfortunate that, Dr Uduaghan while a governor played down and now for Dr Ifeanyi Okowa as the present governor has continued to play down on his medical specialty which could have assisted us as a people to address our perennial health challenges. This is a sad development especially when we reflect on the facts that Deltans elected medical professionals for two consecutive times as Governors to man the state’s administration in succession.
Chief Mulade further charged the Governor, Sen. Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa to concentrate more on improving and upgrading the health systems of the state, by building, revamping and acquiring medical facilities and equipment with updated systems in all 25 LGA.s of the state for proper medical attention and access by all Deltans needing medical attention.
Chief Mulade Sheriff noted that Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa upgrading the hospitals in the entire LGAs will be one of the major ways he can write his name in the history book of the state. It may be unheard off for him to complete his tenure without making very strong impact in the health sector.
The Covid-19 pandemic critically exposed him as a professional medical doctor and his defense in this challenging time will be the legacy he will leave behind for posterity.
