COVID-19: Delta Doctors Down Tools Indefinitely Over Police Harassment

Essential medical services were on Friday brought to a halt as Resident Doctors at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Asaba, Delta State, embarked on an indefinite strike.

The doctors, under the aegis of Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), commenced the indefinite strike over alleged incessant harassment by security operatives enforcing lockdown directive in the state.

BIGPEN reports that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, had last week Wednesday declared a total lockdown as practical measure to curtail the spread of the deadly coronavirus disease.

The doctors alleged that since the lockdown started on April 1, Health workers have been subjected to constant harassment by the police even when they present valid means of identification as essential service providers.

President of the ARD, Asaba FMC chapter, Osifo Patrick Nwabunor confirmed the development to newsmen on Friday at a press briefing in Asaba

Nwabunor alleged that the harassment came to a climax on Thursday when a doctor who was going for an emergency, was stopped and harassed, adding that when other colleagues came to his rescue, they were allegedly tear-gassed.

He said as a result of the constant harassment, the doctors were embarking “total shutdown of their services indefinitely until our safety and security is guaranteed.”

Nwabunor stated that the association was not callous to embark on the indefinite strike in the midst of COVID-19 crisis, but that they cannot continue to discharge their duties in an environment of constant threats and insecurity.

“These are challenging times in view of the COVID-19 but if our safety is not guaranteed, we will maintain the total shutdown,” he stated.

Nwabunor listed three conditions including that no health worker should be harassed when he/she presents a valid means of identification; that items destroyed during the Okpanam issue should be replaced; and that adequate security should be provided within the confines of the hospital, before they would return to work.

He also raised alarm about the paucity of protective kits for front line health workers across both federal and state hospitals, and appealed to the authorities to provide the kits and as well as “increase the hazard allowance for front line care givers”.