An International Non-Governmental Organisation ( NGO ), Ethics Resource Centre Nigeria, on Friday expressed concern over the spate of alleged kidnappings and killings of medical and health workers in Nigeria.
Mr Ike Onyechere, the Chairman of the organisation, who expressed this view in an interview with the News men in Abuja, described the trend as an impediment to quality healthcare delivery.
Onyechere also identified insecurity as contributing factors to the nation’s poor health indices.
The chairman said that the organisation in collaboration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, medical doctors, nurses and midwives, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), Radiographers, Nigeria Defence Academy, among others would hold national conference in March.
According to him, the conference is aim at addressing security challenges confronting health workers and patients.
The chairman specifically gave instances of health workers and patients being kidnapped and killed in recent past.
The most recent ones, according to him, is the kidnapping of Dr Emem Udoh, Senior Registrar, Department of Paediatrics University of Calabar Teaching Hospital on Jan. 9 and a-day-old baby that was stolen on Jan. 10, in Tudun Wada, Kaduna.
He, however, described the situation as unhealthy for the nation’s health system.
Onyechere said addressing security challenges was the surest way to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3) on ensuring healthy lives for all by 2030 in the country.
He said: “Unless the security challenge is successful addressed and resolved in the spirit of collective responsibility of all critical stakeholders, the UN SDG 3 of ensuring healthy lives for all by 2030 will be difficult to achieve in Nigeria”.
The chairman noted that the conference slated for March 7 would feature the Nurses and Midwifery Council, Nurses and Midwives, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) Medical doctors, dental consultants, pharmacists, Nigerian Defense Academy, among others.
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Onyechere identified activities lined for the programme to include publication and circulation of Medical and Health Workers Security Manual and security awareness capacity building in all states of the federation.
According to him, highlight of the conference will include inauguration of Medics Security Joint Action Group, which will serve as the inter-agency coordinating forum for central rapid reporting and recording of incidents involving health workers.
“The group will also serve as integrated and coordinated liaison with Federal, state and local governments and security agencies for better response, integrated alert systems on actual and potential security threats in particular environment.
“The group will as well give technical assistance in terms of risk assessment and emergency preparedness among others,” he said.
Similarly, Dr Friday Omolei, the Chairman, National Committee on Security of Medical Doctors, said the conference was geared toward addressing complex issues of terrorism, kidnapping ravaging the health system.
Omolei said the menace was one of the factors responsible for the rate of maternal, newborn and under-five mortality.
Omolei, who described the issue of insecurity in health sector as trending, noted that it had impacted negatively on health care delivery specifically maternal, neonatal and under-five mortality.
“As a result of this issue of insecurity immunisation efforts are disrupted, healthcare workers and families relocate from these unsafe areas to areas of safety.
“Government rather than focusing on providing healthcare services spend such efforts on how to resolve these kidnapping issues and kidnapped victims.
“This inter-agency collaborative approach will yield better results in terms of stopping the increasing tide of medical professionals relocating from insurgency and kidnap prone environments, which is making public access to healthcare deliver harder.
“Due to the challenge as well maternal, neonatal, under five and other mortality ratios and indices worse,” he said.
