Ogheneruona Tejiri, Asaba
Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) have staged a nationwide protest to drive home their demand for the release of their colleague, Dr (Mrs) Ganiyat Popoola from her abductors in Kaduna seven months after.
In Delta State, doctors at the Federal Medical Centre(FMC), Asaba chapter of the Association, marched round the hospital premises chanting songs of solidarity in procession and demanding of Government to urgently secure the release of their colleague from the kidnappers den or they would down tools until the needful is done.
Speaking during the protest, Dr. Kenneth Okolie, President of FMC, Asaba Chapter of the Association of Resident Doctors disparaged the attitude of Government towards medical personnel in the country, they maintaining that the security of health workers has remained less priority to the political class.
Dr. Okolie said that this behaviour has led to the ‘Japa’ syndrome in the medical profession, because most practitioners could no longer put up with the insecurity around them in addition to the poor working environment and inadequate welfare packages they are also faced with.
The President called on the Federal Government and the Government of Kaduna State to secure the release of Dr Ganiyat Popoola with immediate effect or have them shut down their services to the society.
According to Dr. Okolie, “no doctor is well remunerated, there is brain drain and ‘Japa’ syndrome has taken over the profession, yet our lives for those of us here, are no longer guaranteed. We need the attention of management, health ministry, security agencies and government to our plights and for them to come to our rescue”.
Also speaking, Dr. Asore, National Assistant Secretary of NARD and immediate past President of FMC Asaba Chapter confirmed that the national body had done everything necessary to secure the release of their colleague but to no avail.
Dr. Asore added, “we have done everything possible to get Dr. Ganiyat Popoola released. It has been promises upon promises by security agencies. We intended doing a nationwide protest but for the fragility of the country at the moment coming from the #EndBadGovernance protest, we decided to shelve it by asking our members at states across the country to restrict the protest within their hospital premises.
In her comments, Dr. Silva Juliet, Public Relations Officer of the Chapter equally lend her voice by calling on the media and well meaning Nigerians to support the agitation of the Resident Doctors to ensure that their colleague is released unhurt to reunite with her family and colleagues.
Dr. Silva added that no place is safe again in the country, noting, the hospital environment that is supposed to be safe is no longer safe, she described the situation as troubling and terrifying for health workers and patients.
In solidarity with the protesters at the Administrative complex of the hospital, Dr. Omo Ekeneam (CMAC) representing the Managing Director, Dr. Victor Osiatuma, addressed the Resident Doctors, assuring them that management would support them and work with them in synergy to advance the calls for the release of Dr. Ganiyat Popoola.
It could be recalled that Dr. Popoola, a nursing mother was abducted alongside her husband and her nephew from their official quarters at the National Eye Centre Kaduna, on the 27th December, 2023.
It was gathered that the husband whose health condition was fragile was later released on 7th March, 2024 after series of negotiations and payment of over N60 million and foodstuff as ransom, while the wife and nephew had remained in the custody of the bandits ever since.
Meanwhile, some psychologically inclined persons had imagined that because the woman is a doctor, the abductors must have found her useful to be rendering medical services to the bandits and their captives.
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