Chinese Doctors have arrived in Nigeria, together with the second batch of medical supplies purchased by the Federal Government on Wednesday. Both the Chinese Doctors and the medical supplies arrived in the country through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport, Abuja, by Air peace.
The first batch from Turkey arrived on Sunday
The medical supplies include 16-tons of test kits, ventilators, disinfectant machines, medical masks and medicines, rubber gloves, protective gowns, goggles, face shields, and infra-red thermometers.
The Chairman AirPeace, Allen Onyema in a statement, described the flight as historical and commended the Federal Government for its commitment to protecting Nigerian from COVID19.
Onboard the aircraft was 15 Chinese medical personnel.
They were received by a delegation of the federal government and officials of the Chinese embassy.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) had kicked against the coming of the Chinese.
Minister of health Osagie Enahire had said the doctors were coming with donated medical supplies to support the fight against COVID-19.
Before the arrival of the Chinese Doctors and the medical supplies, the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives had rejected the decision of the Federal Government to import Chinese doctors into the country over the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
The minority Caucus, in a statement issued by its Leader, Mr Ndudi Elumelu, warned that bringing in medical personnel from the epicentre of the dreaded disease will expose the nation to further danger.
The Caucus specifically asked the Federal Government to immediately rescind its decision and jettison all plans to import doctors from the hotbed of the plague into our country at this critical time.
The lawmakers noted that Nigerian doctors and nurses are doing well so far in managing the scourge, and expressed fears that bringing in Chinese medical personnel, whose status, intentions and scope cannot be easily ascertained and controlled is totally against our national interest”
According to Mr Elumelu, the Federal Government should note the apprehensions of Nigerians and professional bodies including the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) over the decision.
The caucus noted that this is particularly after allegations of escalation of the pandemic in certain countries after Chinese doctors were reportedly involved, in addition to widespread trepidations over the safety of medical equipment and kits from China at this point in time.
The Minority leader stressed that at such critical time, the safety and wellbeing of the citizens must be paramount and anything that is capable of further jeopardizing their lives must be avoided.
The Lawmaker, however, commended Nigerians for their resilience and collaborative effort in fighting the spread of the pandemic in the country.
He urged them to continue to adhere to health safety procedures of personal hygiene and social distancing as well as being their brother’s keepers at this time while expressing confidence that with the combined effort of all, the nation will defeat the pandemic.