Following the continuous kidnapping of its members, the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Cross River State branch, has threatened to withdraw its services to members of the public.
The threat will be carried out from Monday.
The medical doctors said their action was as a result of the non-release of their colleague, Dr Usang Ekanem, who was abducted on December 26, 2017 by gunmen.
According to the chairman of the Cross Rivers State chapter of NMA, Dr. Effiong Mkpanam, who spoke with journalists after an emergency meeting on Friday in Calabar, members of the association had suffered series of abduction from kidnappers.
He said the trend had continued for too long and they could not longer take it.
According to him, while they as professionals worked to save lives, nobody seemed to care about their security.
Mkpanam said since Ekanem was kidnapped, the state government and security agencies had not done enough to rescue him.
His words: “As we address you today, it is with grief that we make public the fact that a very senior medical practitioner and one time chairman of NMA has been in the kidnappers’ den for ten days and counting.
“As doctors, we swore an oath to save lives of members of the public who are in need of our skills.
“We have observed with dismay a dangerous trend in which the security and lives of the same doctor are being threatened by some disgruntled members of the society.
“The NMA in Cross River hereby instructs all its members, both in public and private medical facilities, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Institutional Hospitals, General Hospitals, Mission Hospitals and others to withdraw their services.
READ ALSO: Buhari’s Re-Election: Resign Now – PDP Tells Amaechi
“They are to observe a total and indefinite withdrawal of services to members of the public until such a time that our colleague is safely released by his captors and measures taken to forestall future occurrences.
“It is noteworthy that in 2017, within Calabar alone, five doctors and three of their dependants and family members were kidnapped at various locations.”
While calling on the government and security agencies to act fast to rescue their colleague, Mkpanam disclosed that the kidnappers had earlier established contact with the family of the victim where they demanded for a ransom of N100 million and later reduced it to N20million.
“How much is the salary of a doctor monthly that he should pay such a ransom? From what we heard from the family; the victim was with his ATM cards when he was kidnapped and all the money in his account has been withdrawn.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the NMA in Cross River will withdraw clinical services without any notice, any time a doctor is kidnapped in future.
“We cannot continue to save the lives of others while ours is not secured,’’ he said.
“The NMA regrets any inconveniences this action may cause members of the public and wish to advise law abiding members of the public to seek medical services in neighbouring states of the federation.”
