COVID-19: NMA Shares Tragic News
Medical practitioners in Lagos state have been asked to stay at home by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) Lagos state chapter.
The directive was given out after it was reported that doctors and other healthcare practitioners in the state had been harassed repeatedly by orders of the Lagos state police commissioner, Mr Hakeem Odumosu.
The statement which was signed by the chairman, Dr Saliu Oseni and the secretary, Dr Ramon Moronkola on Wednesday said that the medical practitioners should start an indefinite sit-at-home strike due to the harassments.
The chairman’s statement reads, “We have observed that despite the directives of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhamadu Buhari, through the Presidential Taskforce on COVID 19, which was evident on the exemption of essential workers including doctors and other health workers from the ongoing lockdown/movement restrictions, (but) the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr Hakeem Odumosu, has been issuing conflicting directives on social and mainstream media to the effect that essential workers, including doctors and other health workers, are NOT exempted.
“As a direct result of the conflicting directives of the government and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, the Lagos State branch of Nigerian Medical Association was inundated yesterday (Tuesday) evening of several cases of harassments and intimidation of doctors and other health-workers by officers and men of the Lagos State Police command to the extent that even Ambulances carrying patients with emergency cases were impounded. This has become a recurrent issue.
“The Lagos State Branch of the NMA has resolved that it is presently unsafe for members to continue to provide healthcare services under the present confused arrangement.”
The chairman advised the medical practitioners to commence the strike from 6 pm today, Wednesday 20th of May and stay until they have been told otherwise.