Obaseki: We Are Not Making COVID-19 Vaccination Compulsory But…

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has disclosed that his administration is not making COVID-19 vaccination compulsory for residents of the Southsouth state but it remains the best way for protection.

He however expressed sadness that people are making the COVID-19 vaccination a political issue.

Obaseki said this when he received the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Prof. Darlington Obaseki, who was on a courtesy visit to the Government House in Benin City.

The governor urged residents to get vaccinated and ensure compliance with preventive protocols against the spread of the virus.

Obaseki said: “I am saddened when I see people not protecting themselves against COVID-19. We are not making vaccination compulsory, but for now, it is the best way to protect yourselves and protect the people around you. It is so sad to see people making it a political issue.”

“Go to any of our isolation centres and see what is happening to people,” he worried.

Obaseki reassured that his government will sustain reforms in the healthcare system to reposition the state as the country’s medical hub.

“Our experience from the outbreak of coronavirus taught us something that the healthcare system in Edo is one. God forbid you fall ill or you have an emergency, it won’t matter where you are treated. At that point you don’t care if it is a federal, state, or religious institution, as long as you get cured,” the governor noted.

Speaking earlier, Prof. Darlington Obaseki commended the governor for the support which the hospital management had enjoyed under his leadership.