Medical Doctors In Kogi State Protest Over Abduction Of Their Colleague

Over a colleague's kidnapping, medical professionals protest and leave Kogi hospitals

In Kogi State, medical professionals are presently protesting the kidnapping of Dr. Austin Uwumagbe, one of their colleagues.

Remember when Dr. Austin Uwumagbe, the Director of Victory Hospital-Annex in Ogaminana, Adavi Local Government Area, Kogi State, was kidnapped by gunmen last week?

Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja, Kogi State Specialist Hospital, and a few hospitals in the state capital all demonstrated that there were no doctors on site to treat ill patients.

The Kogi State Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Olusola Baoku, commented on the ongoing protest by medical professionals by stating that criminal elements in the nation have always targeted medical professionals.

He bemoaned the fact that over 48 doctors had been abducted nationwide in the previous two years.

Baoku lamented the notion that doctors should be kidnapped because they are so wealthy.

"If you go around Kogi State right now, you won't find any Doctor at work. We believe that an injury to one is an injury to all. Our colleague has been in captivity for over five days and nothing has been heard positively to secure his release. Some of our members are agitated and restless because nobody knows who will be kidnapped next. People are no longer safe to go to work.

"We are in touch with the family and the family is in touch with security agencies. For us, we are not involved in the negotiation because we are not security agencies or an agency of government. Our own is to solidarize with our colleague who is still in captivity.

"The general public should stop this misconception that Doctors are rich. We want the public to know that we are living from hand to mouth. Our salaries are meagre as we built our houses with loans, making us incur huge debt. If you do your background check, a larger percentage of Doctors are in debt with three or four financial institutions.

"Doctors are also bedevilled with the problem of assisting patients who cannot pay their hospital bills. In the end, we pay their bills from our own salaries. You will find out that when a Doctor gets his salary, there will be remaining peanuts since they have spent it in settling different debts. They should stop kidnapping Doctors for ransom because we are very poor. Our accounts are empty, “Baoku lamented.

But according to the NMA Chairman, the kidnappers have contacted the family members and are demanding ransom.

In order to ensure the kidnapped victim's safe release, he urged the Kogi State government and security authorities to act right away.