A medical doctor and the head of pharmacy attached to the Cottage Hospital, Ukana, in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, have been summoned to face the disciplinary committee of the State Ministry of Health over alleged administrative and professional breaches.
The development followed a briefing by the Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Ekong Etiebet, to the Commissioner for Health, Dr Ekem John, who visited the facility on Friday.
During the visit, John, who was accompanied by officials of the ministry, reportedly discovered administrative and professional misconduct, culminating in the summons of the two officials.
The commissioner said the visit followed reports submitted by the Ministry of Health’s Ombudsman Unit, a public complaints unit set up to track and resolve complaints against health workers across the state after the declaration of a state of emergency in the health sector by Governor Umo Eno.
He disclosed that the Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Etiebet, had explained that a medical personnel, Dr Matthias Etim, was absent from duty while on call and subsequently failed to respond to official queries issued in line with civil service regulations.
“On December 19, 2025, I issued a formal query to Dr Matthias Etim following his absence from duty while on call, which prompted a complaint to the Public Complaint lines of the Ministry of Health.
“He blatantly declined to respond. Following this, the Hospital Management Board requested clarification, after which a second query was issued. That too was ignored,” the commissioner said.
John said, based on the briefing and documentary evidence presented, he directed that the doctor appear before the Senior Staff Management Committee of the Hospitals Management Board for interrogation and appropriate disciplinary action.
“We need the report of the committee on this matter before the end of next week,” the commissioner directed.
He also disclosed that during the visit he uncovered significant lapses in pharmaceutical accounting and inventory management, revealing that the pharmacy unit was unable to produce basic statutory records, including stock registers, inventory logs and indebtedness records.
Reacting to the findings, the commissioner expressed concern over the financial inconsistencies revealed during the inspection.
“We have been shown records which, by a mere casual examination, already raise serious red flags. The level of impunity with which a few of our staff operate is inimical to our goal towards health systems strengthening initiatives of the Pastor Umo Eno administration. Of course, we will not let such examples of misconduct fester or abound,” he said.
Consequently, the commissioner ordered the immediate redeployment of the pharmacist heading the unit to another government facility, pending further administrative review.
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