The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, have called on the government to stop the spate of kidnapping of their members in some parts of the country.
At a joint press briefing in Abuja, the NMA President, Dr. Kayode Obembe and the President of the General Practitioners Association, Dr Frank Odafen, asked for security cover for medical doctors who render emergency services at night.
According to them, the call became necessary following recent kidnap of health workers in Ondo, Ekiti, Delta, and Rivers States.
Dr. Obemde told the reporters that a Former Chief Medical Director in the teaching hospital in Ekiti State was kidnapped with his wife and was asked to pay 70 million Naira ransom.
“I don’t think they can assemble 70 million Naira in the whole of Ekiti State.
“They kept the wife in the bush and asked the man to go and look for money.
“What experience could be more harrowing than that? You find that there is really no reason that this type of thing should be happening in our society. We are calling on security agents to put a search light in this direction.
“Any doctor that has any responsibility of taking calls after 7:00pm must be provided with security, This is not asking for two much,” he stressed.
Dr Obembe further said that the association had asked the government and security agencies to protect medical doctors with needed security, emphasising that “in the process of saving lives, it must be guaranteed that our own lives is secure”.
On his part, Dr Odafen expressed worries that even kidnapper and armed robbers, who get treated by doctors when they are wounded, had recourse to kidnap doctors.
