Medical doctors and nurses in Ogun State have announced withdrawal of services in protest against abduction of their colleagues.
The no-work protest takes effect from 12 midnight on Tuesday.
Gunmen had, last Wednesday, abducted a medical doctor, Oladunni Odetola and a nurse, Mrs Bamgbose, along Abeokuta – Imeko road and demanded N20 million ransom to free the victims.
According to news report, a Dental Therapist working with the General Hospital, Ijebu – Igbo was abducted on her way to work on Monday.
Worried by the development, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) in a letter jointly addressed to the Commissioner of Health, Dr Tomi Coker, accused the government of non committal to securing release of the abducted health workers.
The letter titled “Notification of Withdrawal of Service,” was dated April 12, 2021, and jointly signed by the State NMA Chairman, Oladayo Ogunlaja and the State Chairman of NANNM, Roseline Solarin.
They described kidnapping of the health workers as “disheartening, repugnant and unacceptable,” adding that that the Government’s approach of “not negotiating with the kidnappers have left us to believe our lives and security are of no essence to this government.”
The leadership, therefore, declared withdrawal of service by the doctors and nurses, from all public health institutions in the state, effective from 12 midnight on Tuesday.
The strike would continue until the safety of our members was guaranteed, the leadership added.
The letter reads in part: “In the light of the above, it glaring that the safety of the Health workers is no longer guaranteed.”
“The joint committee of NMA and NANNM resolved as follows:
“1. Lives of our members which the government cannot guarantee is sacrosanct.
“2. The Government has not shown enough commitment to the safe release of our incarcerated members.
“3. Immediate withdrawal of the services of our members from all institutions until the safety of our members is guaranteed. Effective from 12 midnight, 13th April, 2021.
“We hope that the government will make the security of lives and properties a matter of priority and see to it immediately.
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