For the Record: Communiqué of Penpushing Media on the Federal Government’s expectation of Chinese medical team in Nigeria

The communiqué of Penpushing Media Roundtable dialogue on Saturday, April 4 on the Federal Government’s expectation of Chinese medical team in Nigeria.

The participants noted that the federal government announcement of the expected arrival of a Chinese medical team is coming at a time when the UN and the WHO have acknowledged with praise Nigeria’s response to the coronavirus pandemic as worthy of emulation by other nations.

The dialogue also noted with concern the role to be played by the Chinese in the spread of the new coronavirus. It therefore expressed apprehensions that the arrival of the Chinese medical team might jeopardise successes already recorded locally in check mating the spread of the disease.

Penpushing Media dialogue offered specific advice to government including the following:

1. The Federal Government must work with the Nigerian Medical Association in the fight against COVID-19 and must seek its input before welcoming any foreign medical help, especially from the Chinese.
2. It noted with pride that the country’s medical personnel have done well in the management of convid-19 cases and should not be rubbished by handing the glory to foreigners, who might  end up claiming credit for a successful containment of Coronavirus in the country
3. The participants while observing that a lot is still unknown about the virus, Nigeria must guard against her citizens being used for experimentation by foreigners
4. While noting that the main problem is infrastructure and poor environmental management in the health sector. Penpushing said Government should therefore focus on improving  this and let the professionals get to work battling Coronavirus and other such epidemics to a standstill to the admiration of not just Nigerians but the entire world.
5. It urged better and further coordination between the various agencies handling the COVID-19 response, including the NCDC, the Presidential Task Force, the Ministry of Health and relevant professional groups.
6. The participants concluded that while there is nothing wrong with sharing experience and knowledge with foreign experts, such must be done in way to uplift and not denigrate local efforts and knowledge.