The Nigerian Medical Association says it will collaborate with the Exam Ethics Marshall International, an NGO, to address the security and safety of medical workers in the country.
Dr. Omolei Imomehe, Chairman, National Committee on Security and Safety of Medical Doctors, said this at a news conference in Abuja on Friday.
The chairman pointed out that the partnership would go a long way to reduce the security challenges being faced by health workers.
Imomehe noted that Chief Medical Doctors, Doctors on Medical Missions, Pharmacists, Dentists, Nurses and Primary Healthcare Workers were routinely kidnapped, saying “the menace must stop”.
According to him, the committee is initiating a conference, which will hold from March 7 to 9 in partnership with the NGO to educate medical workers on measures to take in order to reduce the menace.
Imomehe, therefore, called for collective action from all stakeholders to tackle the challenge.
He said: “Doctors and medical workers as targets of choice for kidnappers is a national health crisis of state of emergency proportion.
“It will be impossible for Nigeria to make any appreciable progress toward achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal on healthcare delivery, if the crisis is not resolved.
“Nigeria is experiencing security challenges worsened by complex interplay of terrorism, herdsmen/farmers clash, kidnapping, cultism, among others but this is worse for medical workers as they are target of choice for criminals.
“This is why the committee is partnering the Ethics Resource Centre in Nigeria for a successful implementation of the recommendations of the conference and other associated initiatives.”
He further called on the government and hospitals management to redirect attention towards reacting to the fallout of kidnap incidents affecting health professionals.
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