Doctors Lament Increasing Rate of Insecurity of Health Workers

Medical doctors in Ekiti State have decried the increasing rate of insecurity among health workers in the state.

This is against the backdrop of the recent waves of kidnapping of doctors and health workers in the state.

On Thursday, unknown gunmen abducted a former Chief Medical Director of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Dr. Patrick Adegun, and his wife, Kikelomo.

The abduction is coming five days after a senior nurse with the Federal Medical Centre, Ido Ekiti, Mrs Margaret Aladeneka, was abducted while a yet-to-be identified man was killed during the operation.

Adegun and his wife were kidnapped at about 8pm near their residence at the Oke Ila area in the state capital.

The CMD of EKSUTH, Dr. Kolawole Ogundipe, in a statement said nothing had been heard about the whereabouts of the couple.

“The management therefore appeals to the security agencies to assist in facilitating their release as this development is already having devastating effect on the teaching hospital,” Ogundipe said.

The Chairman of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria in Ekiti, Dr Olusola Aduloju, who lamented the insecurity of healthworkers in the state, ordered members to withdraw their services until Adegun was found.

“We are taking this step so that the government can provide security for us. We are tired of this situation and we have ordered our men in EKSUTH to withdraw their services until our member and his wife are found.” Aduloju said.

The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Ekiti State Council, has also called on the government and other security agencies to come to the aid of their members, alleging that its members had been assaulted, harassed and intimidated by some hoodlums.

Speaking in Ado Ekiti on Friday, the chairperson of the association, Mrs. Adewumi Bade-Gboyega, explained that two cases of assaults and two adoption cases had been reported to the Police through the association.

Bade-Gboyega said their members had been battered, assaulted, harassed and intimidated by patient relatives in recent time.

According to her, a nurse, Folaranmi Oluyemi, was beaten by a patient’s relative while on duty at Efon Alaaye General Hospital on April 15.

She added, “Similar case was also recorded at the State Specialist Hospital in Ikere-Ekiti.

“Having reported the case formally to the security agents, we therefore request a full investigation into the cases and appropriate legal action taken against the perpetrators.”