Ekiti doctors on strike over insecurity fears


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Ekiti branch of the Nigerian Medical Association has declared an indefinite strike to protest the kidnap of a nurse as well as a doctor and his wife.

The kidnapped doctor is Dr Patrick Adegun, former Chief Medical Director of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital. He was kidnapped along with his wife barely 5 days after the abduction of a theatre nurse, Mrs Margaret Aladenaka from the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti.

Adegun and his wife, Kikelomo, were kidnapped at about 8.00pm near their residence at Oke Ila in the state capital on Thursday.

A letter by the Ekiti NMA stated that the decision to withdraw all clinical services in Ekiti State till the safety of doctors could be guaranteed, was agreed upon at an Emergency General Meeting held on Friday in Ado Ekiti.

Just last week, Chairman of the Ekiti NMA, Dr John Akinbote, had called on the government to increase the security for health personnel in the state after a spate of attacks on doctors and nurses in the hospitals.  A few days later, a nurse was kidnapped and now a doctor.

Meanwhile, Ekiti government is appealing to the doctors to shelve their strike action plans. Special Assistant to the Governor Ayodele Fayose on Information, Mr Lanre Ogunsuyi said, “Police and the state government will make Ekiti secure for health workers and every worker in the state. We will put in place good measures for people to be able to move without hindrance.”

I say all bark and no bite. 

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