By RismadarVoice Reporters
January 9, 2026
A medical doctor and the head of the pharmacy unit at the Cottage Hospital, Ukana, in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, have been summoned to appear before the disciplinary committee of the State Ministry of Health over alleged administrative and professional breaches.
The action followed a briefing by the Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Ekong Etiebet, to the Commissioner for Health, Dr Ekem John, during an official visit to the facility on Friday.
The commissioner, who was accompanied by senior officials of the ministry, reportedly uncovered acts of administrative and professional misconduct, leading to the summons of the two health workers.
John said the visit was informed by reports from the Ministry of Health’s Ombudsman Unit, a public complaints mechanism established to monitor, resolve complaints against health workers across the state following Governor Umo Eno’s declaration of a state of emergency in the health sector.
According to the commissioner, Dr Etiebet informed him that a medical officer, Dr Matthias Etim, absented himself from duty while on call and subsequently failed to respond to official queries issued in line with civil service rules.
“On December 19, 2025, I issued a formal query to Dr Matthias Etim, following his absence from duty while on call, which led to a complaint to the ministry’s public complaint lines. He declined to respond. After the Hospital Management Board sought clarification, a second query was issued, which was also ignored,” John said.
Based on the briefing and documentary evidence presented, the Commissioner directed that the doctor appear before the Senior Staff Management Committee of the Hospitals Management Board for interrogation and appropriate disciplinary action.
“We need the report of the committee on this matter before the end of next week,” he directed.
The Commissioner also disclosed that the inspection revealed serious lapses in pharmaceutical accounting, inventory management at the hospital, noting that the pharmacy unit failed to produce basic statutory records such as stock registers, inventory logs and indebtedness records.
Expressing concern over the findings, John said the records presented raised significant red flags.
“The level of impunity with which a few staff operate is inimical to the health systems strengthening initiatives of the Pastor Umo Eno administration. We will not allow such misconduct to persist,” he said.
Consequently, the Commissioner ordered the immediate redeployment of the pharmacist heading the unit to another government facility, pending further administrative review.
Efforts to contact the affected doctor and pharmacist were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
