Resident doctors begin nationwide strike over abduction of colleague

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has commenced a seven-day warning strike over the abduction of their colleague, Ganiyat Popoola, who has been held captive for eight months.

The President of NARD, Dele Abdullahi, announced the strike during a virtual emergency meeting of the National Executive Council of the association at midnight on Monday.

“The strike is total, and there will be no concessions or emergency care during this period. All centres, both federal and state, should ensure full compliance, even as proper handover of patients to consultants should be done,” Mr Abdullahi said.

He noted that any centre that fails to comply with the strike directive would be fined heavily and denied participation in the forthcoming NARD annual general meeting .

Members of the association across the country had earlier staged a protest march in all tertiary hospitals to demand the release of Mrs Popoola.

Mrs Popoola, a registrar in the Department of Ophthalmology at the National Eye Centre, Kaduna, was abducted in December 2023 alongside her husband and nephew.

While her husband has been released after a ransom was reportedly paid, Mrs Popoola and her nephew remain in captivity.

The kidnappers reportedly demanded a N60 million ransom to release the doctor’s husband.

NARD’s directive, nationwide protest

On 14 August, NARD issued a 26 August ultimatum for the release of the victim.

At a press briefing in Abuja, the association decried the government’s “inaction” over the abduction.

It resolved to organise a national press conference and a nationwide protest march in all tertiary hospitals to demand Mrs Popoola’s release.

When the incident happened, Mr Abdullahi said the association notified all security agencies, the federal government, and the Kaduna State Government but has seen no significant action.

He noted that the association communicated its decision to the Nigerian Medical Association, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labour, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, the Chairman of the House Committee on Health, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and the Kaduna State Government.

“It’s appalling that in a country where we want healthcare providers to stay, one of us has been kidnapped for over seven months and 17 days without any form of relief or directive on how the rescue mission will proceed,” Mr Abdullahi said.

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Insecurity affects health workers

Nigeria has been grappling with armed conflicts such as terrorism and banditry, among other issues.

The Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC) identified 19 incidents of violence against health workers in Nigeria in 2023.

It also identified 43 incidents in 2022, compared to 56 in 2021, in which 37 health workers were kidnapped, seven others were killed, and health supplies were looted from pharmacies and health centres.