(3 minutes read)
· A 15-member team of Chinese medical professionals arrived at
Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Nigeria with medical
equipment worth about US$1.5 million. Chinese term this as a
humanitarian mission to help Nigeria to combat the spread of Covid-19
before it becomes out of control.
· The Nigerian Medical Association is against the visit of the
Chinese medical team, arguing that Nigeria did not need external
intervention to manage the ongoing pandemic.
A 15-member team of Chinese medical professionals arrived at Abuja’s
Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Nigeria with medical equipment
worth about US$1.5 million. Chinese term this as a humanitarian
mission to help Nigeria to combat the spread of Covid-19 before it
becomes out of control.
The Nigerian government kept the team into mandatory 14-day quarantine
before they could start their duties. The Nigerian Medical Association
is against the visit of the Chinese medical team. They argue that
Nigeria did not need external intervention to manage the ongoing
pandemic. But the government defended the deployment stressing that
the Chinese team will help advise local authorities for handling the
pandemic.
Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa recorded 276 confirmed
cases of COVID-19 with six deaths as of April 9 and is considered as
highly vulnerable to the spread of the virus due to its weak
healthcare system. The opposition -People Democratic Party (PDP), has
attacked the government for the importation of Chinese medicos. They
say President Buhari should be responsible for any upsurge in the rate
of COVID-19 infection and consequent deaths in the country following
the importation of doctors from China and medicines. Incidentally, the
pandemic originated in the Wuhan province of China.
