The Akwa Ibom State government has declared its intention to take stern punitive action against two medical doctors for abandoning their duty posts. The medical professionals, identified as Dr. Uduakabasi Ita, a consultant radiologist, and Dr. Mfonobong George Bassey, a consultant haematologist, were both staff of the state Ministry of Health. It was revealed that these doctors departed from their roles after benefiting from eight years of intensive training fully funded by the state government.

Expressing profound anger over the incident, Dr. Ekim John, the Commissioner for Health, issued a strong warning yesterday from Uyo, the state capital. He mandated the "fleeing medics" to immediately resume their positions within the state civil service. Failure to comply, Dr. John stated, would result in them being compelled to refund all financial resources expended by the state government on their extensive training.

Furthermore, this incident has prompted a significant policy declaration from the Commissioner. Dr. John emphasized that henceforth, all medical officers who receive training sponsored by the Akwa Ibom State government will be required to serve for an agreed-upon number of years within the state before any resignation will be permitted. He firmly asserted that "the government will not allow its best hands to exit service for greener pastures without first serving the Akwa Ibom people whose resources were deployed for their training." This new directive aims to safeguard the state's investment in its healthcare professionals and ensure adequate service delivery to its citizens.