Saturday September 06, 2025
By TheNewsDESK |
The Action Democratic Congress (ADC) Akwa Ibom State chapter has strongly condemned the Akwa Ibom State Government over the death of a pregnant woman and her newborn baby at the Government Hospital in Ikot Ekpene on August 31, 2025.
The party attributed the death to the absence of doctors on duty and the hospital’s poor management.
Consequently, ADC called for the resignation of the State Commissioner for Health, stressing that the commissioner is unfit to hold the position given the circumstances surrounding the incident.
This was contained in a statement by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Mr Manfred Ekpe and sighted by our correspondent in Uyo on Wednesday.
Recall that on August 31, 2025 a viral video on social media captured a pregnant woman bleeding to death at the point of delivery at the Government Hospital in Ikot Ekpene and had sparked public condemnation.
Ekpe noted that the Commissioner for Health rushed to the hospital at midnight, seemingly to show that the government is working, but did nothing to prevent the tragedy
He criticised the government for not employing doctors and other medical professionals for decades, while pretending to renovate existing health facilities and build new ones for personal gain
“On 31 August 2025, a pregnant woman and her newborn baby died in the Government Hospital, Ikot Ekpene. The cause of death is said to be that doctors were not on duty.
“The bleeding pregnant woman was kept unattended for over 3 hours. The poor patient and the baby gave up after hours amidst cries for help on viral video by family members.
“Moreover, in the richest oil producing state in the country, medical personnel in public health facilities do not report for duty in the weekends because there is shortage of personnel and a few we have are overworked.
“Government has not employed doctors and other medical professionals for decades but are busy pretending to be renovating existing health facilities and building new ones because in this there is kickback.
“According to the viral video of the incident, the oxygen storage room was locked up and the respiratory therapy department staff in charge of oxygen administration were nowhere to be found.
“After the unfortunate death of the patient, the Commissioner for Heath in a busy body rush, hurried to the hospital at midnight. To do what? To bring the deceased back to life? No, only to show on the cameras that Government is working.
“Did Government officials not see the viral videos where the sister of the deceased was begging the world for hours that the authorities should intervene to call the doctors to report for duty and lamenting that the the deceased needed oxygen but that oxygen storage room was locked up? The Government could have intervened at that point to safe the situation. Why did they see the videos after the irreversible had happened?
“Worst still, the Government press statement on the incident is smack of insincerity and insensitivity. A serious government would immediately set up not just an inquiry but an inquest. In the circumstance, the response of the Government suggests that nothing will come out of the socalled inquiry purportedly to be set up into the incident.
“True to this, for more than 24 hours the ‘high-powered Commission of Inquiry’ announced by the Commissioner for Health have not been set up. It is a mere window dressing and the public, it is believed, may not hear the result of the socalled inquiry which may never be set up except in the newspapers.
“It is unlikely that steps will be taken to forestall future occurrence, afterall the comatose state of our health, educational and other public amenities does not affect the corruptly enriched politicians. They and their family members patronize first class private hospitals or treat headache abroad. They fly to die abroad and still fly back to be buried in Nigeria with taxpayers money.
“ADC calls on the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Health to resign forthwith.”
However, the party scribe urged Governor Umo Eno to prioritise the fixing of public health institutions in the state to prevent similar incidents in the future.