The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to immediately suspend the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Prof Ikpeme Ikpeme, over allegations of ethnic discrimination in the recruitment of resident doctors at the federal tertiary health institution.

The call followed the adoption on Thursday of a motion of urgent public importance moved by the member representing Afikpo South/Afikpo North Federal Constituency, Ebonyi State, Mr Iduma Igariwey.

Moving the motion, Igariwey cited media reports alleging that Prof Ikpeme rejected 17 newly graduated medical doctors posted to UCTH by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria for their mandatory one-year housemanship.

According to the lawmaker, 15 out of the 17 affected doctors are Nigerians of Igbo extraction.

He added that despite interventions by the National Association of Resident Doctors, UCTH chapter, and the Nigerian Medical Association, Cross River State branch, the CMD allegedly refused to reverse his decision.

“Prof Ikpeme has stood his ground to reject the list on account of the high number of Igbo applicants therein,” Igariwey said.

He warned that the alleged action amounted to a violation of constitutional provisions prohibiting discrimination.

“The House is alarmed that by rejecting a bona fide list of medical doctors sent to him by the regulatory body, on ground of tribe/region, Prof Ikpeme is in dangerous violation of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that seeks to protect citizens from discrimination on account of tribe and tongue,” he said.

Igariwey further expressed concern that the development was worsening the crisis in Nigeria’s already overstretched health sector.

“The House is concerned that Prof Ikpeme’s conduct is further compounding the challenges confronting our health care system, and the efforts of the current administration, being that Nigeria’s fragile health care system is facing a critical manpower deficit, as the number of licensed doctors has dropped to about 40,000, far below the estimated 300,000 needed to adequately serve Nigeria’s health care needs (see PUNCH Healthwise Report).

“We frown at the conduct of this highly placed federal officer that encourages brain drain in the health sector, and more importantly, further fractures the delicate ethnic fault lines of our union, leading to divisiveness, insecurity and instability,” he added.

The allegations against Prof Ikpeme come amid longstanding complaints by medical associations and civil society groups over perceived discriminatory practices in some federal institutions, particularly in recruitment and training placements.

In the case of UCTH, reports surfaced alleging that the CMD rejected the MDCN-posted doctors solely because they were predominantly Igbo, raising concerns about ethnic bias in a federally funded institution expected to reflect national diversity.

The controversy has drawn criticism from professional bodies, with stakeholders warning that selective acceptance of house officers based on ethnic considerations undermines merit, national cohesion and the integrity of medical training in Nigeria.

Observers have also noted that such actions, if proven, could discourage young doctors from remaining in the country at a time when Nigeria is grappling with large-scale emigration of health professionals.

At the plenary session presided over by the Speaker, Dr Tajudeen Abbas, lawmakers unanimously supported the motion, resolving that the CMD be suspended with immediate effect.

The House said the suspension was necessary “to ensure he does not interfere with the investigation to be conducted by the Committee on Health Institutions.”

The Committee was mandated to probe the allegations and report back to the House within four weeks for further legislative action. (The PUNCH)