Imo Health Crisis: Practitioners call for Okorocha’s impeachment

Medical practitioners in Imo State under the aegis of Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of the Nigeria (AGPMPN), have called on the State House of Assembly to immediately begin impeachment proceedings against Governor Rochas Okorocha, noting that the call became necessary, following the shutdown of all public primary, secondary and tertiary health centres in the state by the governor.

The Chairman, AGPMPN Imo State, Dr. Philip Njemanze, who also alleged that Governor Okorocha is threatening to close down all private hospitals in the state, lamented that these actions have had devastating effects on the Imo people.

Njemanze said: “Many people have lost their lives and others severely harmed. There is a total paralysis of all primary healthcare services in all rural areas in Imo State. There is a collapse of all health services in the three major general hospitals and the Specialist Hospital in Owerri.

“This has resulted to rising incidence of diarrhea diseases, tuberculosis, malaria and cholera and total absence of surveillance for the most dangerous diseases like Ebola, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and Yellow fever. The state immunization programs, antenatal and post-natal care have been halted in most rural areas. Neonatal mortality, child mortality and maternal mortality are rising suddenly due to absence of first responders in the health system in Imo State.”

Speaking further, Njemanze called on President Muhammadu Buhari to impose a State of Emergency in Imo State.

According to him, “The grounds for this action is based on violations of public safety of Nigerians in accordance to Section 305 (2)(c) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The poor state of governance in the Imo State and gross unconstitutional actions of Governor Rochas Okorocha have jeopardized public safety, and constitute impeachable offences.”

The medical practitioners, however, called on the Imo State House of Assembly “to immediately begin impeachment proceedings against Governor Rochas Okorocha.”