House officers posted to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Cross River State, have raised allegations of tribal discrimination and unfair treatment following their rejection during clearance for housemanship duties.
The complaints, shared publicly in a post amplified by social media commentator Oseni Rufai, were reportedly submitted to relevant authorities. According to the account, the affected doctors—17 in number—arrived in Calabar from different parts of the country, including Lagos, after being officially posted to UCTH by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
The house officers said they reported to the hospital’s administrative department on Monday to begin clearance and orientation but were allegedly turned back by the Chief Medical Director (CMD). They claim the CMD informed them that he had written to the MDCN to question the posting list and would not clear them until a response was received.
Among the reasons reportedly given, were that 15 of the 17 house officers were from the same ethnic group or region,(IGBO) that none of the posted officers were indigenes of Cross River State, and that the hospital had earlier indicated it had 50 available slots, raising questions about why only 17 were posted.
The complainants further alleged that the CMD made comments suggesting that doctors from a particular ethnic group (IGBO) were “saturating” the hospital and accused them of paying for postings, claims they said were not backed with evidence.
The situation, according to the house officers, has left them stranded without official clearance, pay, or accommodation. They claimed some of them are currently sleeping on the floor in rooms shared with senior house officers, describing the experience as humiliating and distressing.
The petitioners also alleged that such actions were not new at the hospital, claiming that doctors from other ethnic groups were sometimes cleared while those from Igbo extraction were turned away and advised to “go to the East.”
Medical associations, including the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), UCTH chapter, and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Cross River State branch, were said to have intervened by reaching out to the CMD, but the house officers claim he remained adamant.
The affected doctors warned that experiences such as this contribute to the growing frustration among healthcare workers in Nigeria and fuel the increasing trend of medical professionals seeking opportunities abroad, popularly referred to as “Japa.”
As of the time of reporting, there has been no official response from the management of UCTH or the MDCN addressing the allegations.
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