CHARLES UGWU, AN IMPOSTER IN OUR MIDST?

It is a truism that health is wealth and when we are not well we seek the knowledge, training and expertise of a healthcare provider. We put our life in the person’s hands in the belief that he/she will provide a solution to our ailment, heal us and put an end to our pain. It is a sacred trust between doctor and patient because we really are at the “mercy” of the expert. How would you feel if you discovered that the person you are trusting with your life and your health may not be who he claims he is?

It was with utter chagrin that I read the report published in a number of national dailies last week with bold headlines such as: “_Fake doctor uses friend’s licence for nine years.” “The [1] Ahmadu Bello University disowns fake medical doctor [2].” “Fake Doctor! Ugwu Stole And Practised With Friend’s License For 9 Years.” “__Shocking Report: Nigerian Fake Doctor practise for 10 years with friend’s license [3]_.”

We all know that the unemployment rate globally is high and Nigeria is no exception, but can anyone be so brazen? So adroit in the art of deception as to steal a friend’s medical license and impersonate him for so many years? How many people have been wrongly diagnosed, how many lives have been lost? How does such a person face his conscience each day?

We are not a nation of lawlessness; neither must we permit impunity or criminality to corrode the very fabric of our nation. The unfolding drama of this individual reads like a Nollywood movie script.

According to media reports, a Nigerian, one Martin Ugwu who is working with the Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, as a Senior Medical Officer on Grade Level 13, was found to have impersonated his friend, Dr. George Davidson Daniel, who is undergoing a residency training programme in Jos, Plateau State. Martin Ugwu allegedly stole the medical license and other certificates from his friend for whom he was best man during a wedding in 2006.

The statutory regulatory body for the practice of medicine and dentistry, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, had raised an alarm in a letter to the Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission, Abuja, signed by its Registrar, Dr. A. Ibrahim, who described Ugwu as an imposter, adding that the case had been reported to the police for further investigation and action.

Similarly, the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in a letter dated June 5, 2015 addressed to the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) confirmed that the real George Davidson Daniel graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery in May, 2002. The institution’s letter which was signed by the Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Prof. A. G. Bakari, was in response to a request for confirmation of Ugwu’s claim that he was a graduate of medicine from the Ahmadu Bello University.

Following investigations by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria which found that Ugwu was an imposter posing as a medical doctor, the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) Chairman, Deaconess Joan Ayo, had written to the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, asking him to hand over the suspect to the police for further investigation and prosecution.

The suspect was said to have caused a stir at the health ministry recently when he led some policemen to arrest senior officials whom he accused of masterminding his ordeal. A source said his plot to embarrass the officials failed as ministry workers prevented them from being taken away when the policemen could not produce an arrest warrant.

The Federal Capital Territory Police Public Relations Officer, Anjuri Manzah, is quoted as saying that the police are investigating Ugwu for impersonation, further stating that the case was being handled by the Criminal Investigation Department.

Is Charles Uguwu an imposter? We know that he has already been indicted by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria as an impostor. Can we believe anything he says as a desperate man will do anything, including lie, until he is blue in the face. My advice to the law enforcement agencies is to speedily investigate the case of Mr. Ugwu, (if that is indeed his real name) with the seriousness and promptness it deserves. He must have his day in court sooner than later.

If he is found guilty, especially if he has harmed or killed anyone while practicing medicine illegally, he must be made to face the full wrath of the law. This will serve as deterrent to others who would want to practice the sacred profession of saving lives illegally.

***Rosa Kurebe is the Founder of Alert Medicine Alert (AMA), an NGO that Supports Victims of Medical Malpractice in Nigeria.