NMA confirms escape of abducted UNTH resident doctor, vows to down tool

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The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has confirmed the escape of abducted resident doctor attached to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State, Dr Orockarrah Orock.

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It was learnt that Orock attached to the Anesthesia Department of UNTH was on Saturday night kidnapped within the hospital premises, while on call duty.

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The Chairman of NMA, Enugu State Chapter, Dr Celestine Ugwoke, gave the confirmation to newsmen in Enugu on Monday.

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Ugwoke said that Orock miraculously made his escape after the kidnappers felt satisfied with the offer to pay the ransom demanded by his wife and gone to have nice time with their weeds and spirits and fell into deep sleep.

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According to him, the abducted doctor gradually crawled away from the spot he was kept in the kidnappers’ den and later trekked and ran a distance before sighting human activities and then came out near the Four Corner Junction of Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.

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“He called his wife and the wife contacted Chairman NMA Security Committee, Dr Ogbu Emmanuel Olisaemeka,
that picked him up that mid-night of Saturday. We are profoundly grateful to God for his miraculous escape,” he said.

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The chairman, however, said that doctors had become endangered professionals in the state, as kidnappers always target doctors especially those working in tertiary health institutions in the state.

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“We are really in trouble as doctors are now their target and we are living in fear as the kidnappers now chase us as if they are chasing rats,” he said.

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The chairman also noted that “any more abduction of any doctor in UNTH again, doctors in the teaching hospital will totally down tool”, adding that this warning would be extended to other tertiary hospitals in the state.

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Ugwoke said that the association would be meeting with the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of UNTH to mandate him to release security protocol for the hospital, to ensure safety of all doctors, management staff, staff and patients in the hospital.

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“We also want the hospital management to beef-up security within the hospital, ensure adequate perimeter fencing of the entire hospital and installation of Close Circuit Television Camera (CCTV) and its monitoring base within the hospital.

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“As an association, we have previously met the state’s Commissioner for Health and the Commissioner of Police on the spate of insecurity our members (doctors) face even in the discharge of their life-saving professional duties.

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“All efforts through official letters and other means to pay a courtesy call on Gov. Peter Mbah and intimate him on the vital issue of doctors’ security in the state had proved abortive.

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“Maybe, the government wants doctors to leave their duty posts and carry placards to the Enugu Government House before listening to us. This will be very bad, if allowed to drag to this point,” he said.

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Efforts made to get the Spokesperson for Enugu State Police Command, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, to speak on the matter proved abortive as he did not pick several calls made to his cellphone.