By Gbenga Odogun
The Nigerian Medical Association has blamed the mass exodus of medical doctors out of the country on the spate of insecurity in Nigeria.
The Kogi State Chairman of NMA, Dr. Abubakar Hassan, who spoke to journalists on Friday in Lokoja, about the ongoing nationwide strike embarked upon by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, lamented that medical personnel had recently become the prime targets for criminal elements despite their service to humanity.
Hassan argued that this had crippled the health services across the nation and that Kogi State was not exempted.
He asserted that there are many unreported cases of doctors who are being held in captivity by their abductors across the country.
According to the Kogi state NMA Chairman, “There are many others that are unreported. Some people have decided that they won’t use the kidnap of their colleagues to make the news for security reasons.
“Maybe at this juncture, I should add that in a particular North Central State, at least two doctors are currently in captivity, one for an upward of one year now. The second one happened only recently, just a week ago. The story is the same across the entire country.
“It has gotten to a state that doctors themselves, having been patient for too long despite the unfavourable situation in the country, are becoming patients, no thanks to their ordeals in the hands of these hoodlums.
“Doctors are becoming patients simply because they need the attention of other medical practitioners each time they fall victim to kidnap; They suffer physical injuries and psychological trauma in the process.
“So, imagine a doctor going out in the morning to his practice to attend to patients but on his way also turning out to be a patient to be attended to by other colleagues in the aftermath of his ordeals in the hands of kidnappers? This is the situation we have come to find ourselves in today in Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, it is one of the reasons responsible for the mass exodus of doctors from Nigeria to other countries.
“We have gotten to a stage where practising in some African countries is becoming more attractive to doctors in Nigeria.
“Whenever you hear doctors leave this country, what people now refer to as JAPA syndrome, it is not all about the welfare package. Welfare should be looked at from a holistic perspective. Security should be factored into any welfare package for it to be meaningful.
“Even if you were to pay someone N10,000,000 per month, if he cannot sleep with his two eyes closed, such a person cannot be guaranteed movement from his residence to the hospital to attend to his patients. This results in anxiety and a great many people are suffering from anxiety neurosis,” he said.
Hassan, who averred that down tooling was the last option for doctors to press home their demands, bemoaned the federal government for failing to provide security for its citizens, adding that it has become a serious hindrance to the practice of the medical profession in Nigeria.
With respect to Kogi State, he said, “The Kogi state NMA under my watch, as I stated in my acceptance speech, will ensure that strike doesn’t become an option. We have a number of strategies to achieve our goals. We are lucky to have a Governor in Kogi State, Ahmed Ododo who listens to the people at all times. Kogi State also has a Commissioner for Health who is doctor-friendly.
“These are very intelligent people who are easily approachable when there are issues. They can easily be spoken to. It is very unlikely that there would be a need for strike in Kogi State.”
“It is important to state that the ongoing Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, (NARD) strike is the last option. The colleagues have explored all the other options that they have.
“While we are appealing for calm and understanding, it should be borne in mind that the doctors have the right to make a statement because of the failure on the part of the Federal Government to provide security as entrenched in our constitution.”
He noted that the Association is looking forward to a situation where the security architecture in the country is critically reinvigorated with a view to providing a lasting solution to its security challenges, so that people outside the country will have confidence in coming to Nigeria for medical services.
“Our state Government, I am aware, is contemplating recruitment of doctors and other health professionals. This is a step in the right direction by this government. They should , however, cap it by further strengthening the security arrangements currently in place. I am confident this government can do it,” he said.
In a chat with the President, Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja, Dr Jimoh Umar, told our correspondent that there was full compliance with the warning strike in Kogi state.
While admitting that the security of medical doctors has continued to deteriorate in the country, Umar charged the government to urgently look into their demands.
His words: “There is a nationwide strike declared by our parent body which is NARD on Monday in a bid to register our grievances and displeasures over the abduction of one of our colleagues in Kaduna state.
“At NARD level, we have engaged with relevant stakeholders and security agencies to see if she can be rescued. We have dialogue over a time now, but at a point the National Executive Council, (NEC) decided that we need to press home our demands for the release of our colleague in captivity,” Umar added.
“Our is to get the attention of the Government to expedite actions for her release. The Resident doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja have fully complied with the NARD directive. As you can see, the wards and clinics are empty because our members are on strike.
“It is appalling that our security is becoming something we couldn’t talk about. Recently, a doctor was kidnapped on her way to work. The Security of doctors in the country is deteriorating on a daily basis. Our members are being targeted by kidnappers for ransom.
“We are calling on the government to expedite actions and intensify security efforts to protect our members from these kidnappers. It is not something that any of us wants to experience and we hope that those in captivity will be released soon”.
Recall that on August 26th, 2024, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) commenced a seven-day warning strike over the abduction of their colleague, Ganiyat Popoola, who has been held captive for eight months.
Mrs Popoola, a registrar in the Department of Ophthalmology at the National Eye Centre, Kaduna, was abducted in December 2023 alongside her husband and nephew.
