The National President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Uche Ojinmah, has announced that the association would embark on a national action if their abducted member in Cross River State is not released within the next seven days.
Mr Ojinmah made the announcement during a briefing with newsmen on Saturday in Calabar when outlining some of the steps the association plans to take in order to secure the release of their colleague.
It would be recall that on July 13, Prof. Ekanem Ephraim, a neurologist with the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), was abducted from her residence by armed men posing as patients.
According to her family, the NMA in Cross River State has not received any indication that she is alive, despite the fact that it has been 25 days since her abduction.
Mr Ojinmah said the NMA decided to make it clear that they would not accept anything except the return of the kidnapped doctor.
“We have had interactions with the governor and we have made it clear that if by the end of next week we do not get result, we will take tougher stance because we have watched the maltreatment of medical practitioners in Cross River in the last few years.
“Doctors as a group are being targeted, that has to stop in Cross River, if it does not, there will be a national action that will have Cross River at the epicenter.
“We may withdraw our members so that those people who like kidnapping will have to treat the people of Cross River themselves,” he maintained.
Speaking further, Mr Ojinmah called on the government of Cross River to take proactive measures to protect their important citizens, not only doctors.
While appealing to the kidnappers to return the abducted neurologist to her family and association, he called on the state government to make it a priority to contain any attempt to de-market Cross River.
(NAN)