The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has confirmed the escape of an abducted resident doctor, Orockarrah Orock, attached to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State.
It was learnt that Mr Orock, attached to the anaesthesia department of the UNTH, was kidnapped on Saturday night within the hospital premises while on call duty.
The NMA chairman in Enugu State, Celestine Ugwoke, confirmed to journalists in Enugu on Monday that Mr Orock escaped after the kidnappers were satisfied with the ransom offered by his wife and went to have a “nice time with their weeds and spirits and fell into a deep sleep”.
He explained that the kidnapped doctor managed to escape from the location where he was held captive by the kidnappers. Mr Ugwoke said the doctor emerged from captivity near the Four Corner Junction along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.
“He called his wife, who called the UNTH chief security officer, who picked him up at midnight on Saturday. We are profoundly grateful to God for his miraculous escape,” he said.
The chairman lamented that doctors have become endangered professionals in the state, as kidnappers always target them, especially those working in tertiary health institutions.
“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.
The chairman said that any more abductions of any doctor at UNTH would downplay medics in the teaching hospital, adding that this warning would be extended to other tertiary hospitals in the state.
Mr Ugwoke said that the association would be meeting with the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of UNTH to mandate that he release security protocols for the hospital to ensure the safety of all doctors, management staff, and patients.
“As an association, we have previously met the state’s Commissioner for Health and the Commissioner of Police about the spate of insecurity our members face even in the discharge of their life-saving professional duties.
“All efforts through official letters and other means to pay a courtesy call on Governor Peter Mbah and intimate him on the vital issue of doctors’ security in the state had proved abortive.
“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.
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 up several calls made to his cellphone.
(NAN)
