A few days ago, the social media was awash with the news of a certain medical practitioner, Dr Abraham Ariyo, a Nigerian cardiologist with the Dallas Regional Medical Center who posted derogatory remarks about the Igbos on facebook.
I had thought initially that he made those remarks on his own wall. But my findings revealed that those commentaries were made on a thread on someone else's wall!
There is no doubt that those comments are highly condemnable.
But then, countless number of persons have said worse things on facebook without this kind of attendant reaction.
So why is the call for Dr Ariyos's head so loud like never before?
As at the time of my writing this, over 3,000 signatures have been collected online within few hours, with the Texas Medical Board being inundated with several calls, ditto for his employers.
Dr Ariyo faces the Texas Medical Board presently and may equally appear before other international bodies on genocide. He has since deleted his comments at the heat of the reaction, removed his pictures from his facebook wall and gone underground with his family.
The damage that this 'ordinary' facebook comments has done to his practice and person is indeed immeasurable.
So why Dr Ariyo?
Of the thousands of people who make hate comments daily on social media, why is this man being singled out for punishment?
The answer is simple. It is because he is a medical doctor!
This is why I have taken it upon myself to put up this writing in this forum.
The things other people would do or say and get by without as much as raising a dust beyond the ordinary, if you as a medical doctor do same, the reaction will be unequally excercerbated!
Though, Dr Ariyo has written a rejoinder denouncing the malignant comments ascribed to his profile, the severe haemorrhage resultant per ab initio remains unarrested in the minds of many.
So dear medical colleague, this is a call to moderation in our lifestyle. The society expects so much from us, far above other professionals.
Let us conduct ourselves with utmost decorum for the world is indeed interested in our activities as medical practioners, the one into whose hands they commit their lives!
Dr Thomas-Wilson Ikubese
Akure
ABUJA: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
PORTHARCOURT: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
LAGOS: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
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