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Despite the rising number of coronavirus infections, the Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA directed doctors in the state to proceed on an indefinite sit-at-home order to protest against incessant police harassment on medical doctors and other health workers.
This was contained in a press statement jointly signed by the State Chairman of the NMA, Dr Saliu Oseni and the Secretary, Dr Ramon Moronkola.
According to the doctors association, the decision to embark on the sit-at-home protest, which is expected to begin today, Wednesday, 20th May from 6 pm, was because their members no longer felt safe to provide healthcare services under the present situation in the state.
The NMA said their members had sent in numerous complaints of continuous police harassment, either on their way to or on returning from duty or while on transit to heed to emergency calls at the various hospitals.
They bemoaned the conflicting directives issued by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu that doctors and health workers were not exempted as essential workers, despite clear directive by the President, Muhammadu Buhari, through the Presidential Taskforce on COVID 19, on the exemption of essential workers including doctors and other health workers.
“As a direct result of the conflicting directives of the government and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, the NMA was inundated yesterday (Tuesday, 19th of May, 2020) evening of several cases of harassments and intimidation of doctors and other health-workers by officers and men of the Lagos State Police command,” the NMA statement reads.
“There was a most disturbing case of an ambulance conveying an injured patient which was prevented from moving to destination while the attending health-workers were harassed and temporarily detained.
“You will recall that this same ugly situation had occurred sometimes in the early phase of the ongoing lockdown/restriction of movement based on similar conflicting directives from the State Commissioner of Police.
“It took the intervention of the Governor of the State, following a petition by the Association, for normalcy to be restored.”
The association further demanded a written statement, signed by Government and the appropriate Police Authorities, with clear terms on the status of essential services, including healthcare services and its providers.
They insisted that the protest would continue until the statement has been issued and advertised in the social and mainstream media, as well as a copy submitted to the Secretariat of the Lagos State Branch of NMA.
