Doctors in Port Harcourt protest over incessant kidnappings of colleagues.

Members of the Nigerian Medical Association staged a protest yesterday over the increased rate of abduction of medical practitioners in the state. The doctors came out in large numbers for the peaceful protest. Some of them were seen on their laboratory coats carrying placards, others just held their stethoscope.

Former chairman of the NMA Dr, Ibitorukuemi Kurubo  explained the purpose of the protest:

“When people are sick or when we want to take deliveries of babies we don’t call security agencies to do it for us. For instance, Lassa Fever issue is on. We are confronting it. Two doctors have died in the process, that is our job. We are trained to do it and we must treat patients no matter how deadly the diseases are because that is our job. Security agencies in the state must rise up and do their job.

“The peaceful protest today is to send a clear warning that if there is anymore kidnap of doctors in the state, NMA will take a far reaching decision,”

The doctors marched to the police headquarters to complain about the fact that twenty one practicing  medical doctors in the state have been kidnapped lately, eleven of them were kidnapped within the last few days, one died in the hands of the kidnappers while others were severely injured.

They met with the commissioner of police, Musa Kimo who sympathized with them, and promised them that more efforts would be made to protect them.