Over 10 doctors abducted in Enugu, NMA cries out

Kidnappers abducted over 10 Enugu medical doctors within two months, State branch of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) said today.

The association raised alarm in a communique from their Tuesday 14 November emergency meeting.

The situation, they said, adds to the burden of managing health facilities and safety of our doctors in the State.

NMA described the trend as “dangerous” and “unprecedented” in Enugu’s history.

The meeting held at National Orthopedic Hospital with its communiques endorsed by State NMA chairperson and Secretary, Doctors Celestine Ugwoke and Sunday Okafor.

NMA urged the Enugu State Government and security agencies to show more concern to doctors through drastic preventive actions.

It observed that security agencies could contain the situation with minimal security presence in public hospitals and nearby armed patrols.

It described the security arrangement in the state as “porous,” a situation that emboldens criminal elements to operate with ease.

This situation can be reversed by deploying armed personnel, improving armed patrols, and rejigging the security architecture, NMA said.

Rejigging the architecture includes adequate funding for security, and use of technology and gadgets to arrest the “ugly situation.”

Security agencies could also scale up operations not only to abort the current trend but also to bring the kidnap culprits to book. It regretted that there are no arrests made to date on the spate of kidnappings.

Finally, the doctors called for improvement on the welfare of medical and dental constants, encourage health institutions to set up security committees, and facilitate security sensitization tours across major health institutions.

It recommended adoption of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) security template with modifications.

Finally, the doctors threatened that they may not guarantee industrial harmony in the entire health sector if the authorities refuse to hear their cry.

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