Kogi NUJ Tackles NMA over Denial of Statement on COVID-19 Testing

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kogi State council, has called on the state chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) Kogi to take the path of honour by taking responsibility for its actions.

In a statement signed by the union Chairman and Secretary, Alhaji Momohjimoh Adeiza and Seidu, respectively, it expressed disappointment that an association of NMA status could deny statement issued and signed by the body.

The statement which read in part: "Our attention has been drawn to a rebuttal by NMA over its statement issued on the non-testing by the state government to ascertain the state of COVID-19 in the state.

"Because of this high level of suspicion, doctors prefer to rule out COVID-19 in patients they considered as high risk before proceeding to manage them for their clinical conditions.

"The inability of the state to test or follow laid down protocols in order to exclude COVID-19 patients may lead to needless death of patients presented with other clinical conditions due to neglect by health workers.

"It should be noted that if doctors should attend to one unknown case of COVID-19 in the hospital setting, it may spread to many health workers s and their families."

According to the NUJ, it would have been better and more honourable for the NMA to simply apologise to the state government, when it found out that the statement was not correct, instead of putting journalists who are simply doing their jobs at the receiving end.

The union equally directed all journalists in the state not to report the activities of the NMA until further notice, to avoid being drawn into unnecessary confrontations with the state government or any other body because of their inconsistency.

The NUJ commended the state government for being proactive in its handling of the coronavirus pandemic in the state, which has made Kogi one of the states yet to record any single case.

They called on the government to extend support to Kogi State journalists who have been in the forefront of the fight against the dreaded virus.