RIPPLES created by the discovery of a fake doc­tor, Martins Ugwu, who worked in the Federal Ministry of Health for nine years, using the cer­tificates of his friend, Dr. Davidson Daniel George, is yet to abate.

 

The Medical and Den­tal Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has commenced verification of all doctors employed by the Federal Government.

 

Registrar of the MDCN, Dr. Abdulmunin Ibrahim, said in an exclusive in­terview with Daily Sun in Abuja, that the detec­tion of Ugwu, who rose to become the chairman of Nigerian Medical Asso­ciation (NMA) chapter of the Health Ministry, was a pointer to the possibility of many other impersonators working for government.

 

 

Ugwu had been ar­raigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja, on a five-count charge for im­personation and stealing of a Bachelor of Medicine Degree of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. In the criminal charge, where he pleaded not guilty, Ugwu was also alleged to have stolen a Bachelor of Surgery De­gree and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates belonging to one Dr. Daniel George.

 

Beside his arraignment, the Permanent Secretary of the Health Ministry, Linus Awute, at a briefing, stated that the ministry was computing all sala­ries and allowances paid to the impersonator. In­vestigations by Daily Sun showed that the ministry had computed the salaries and allowances paid to Ugwu from September 21, 2006 to May 31, 2015, to be approximately N17 million.

 

Ibrahim said the coun­cil, which regulates the practice of medicine in the country had written to the Head of Service, the Fed­eral Civil Service Com­mission and the Federal Ministry of Health to fur­nish it with the list of all doctors working for the Federal Government, for proper verification.

 

By Kemi Yesufu

This Day