A resident doctor, Dr Orockarrah Orock, who was abducted from the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) in Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State, has managed to escape from his captors. The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has confirmed this remarkable feat.
Dr Orock, who worked in the Anesthesia Department of UNTH, was abducted on Saturday night while on call duty within the hospital premises. However, luck was on his side as the kidnappers, who had demanded a ransom from his wife, fell into a deep sleep after consuming drugs and alcohol.
Seizing this opportunity, Dr Orock slowly crawled away from the spot where he was held captive. With great resilience, he then trekked and ran a considerable distance, eventually reaching an area where he spotted signs of human activity. He emerged near the Four Corner Junction of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, where he contacted his wife. The Chief Security Officer of UNTH promptly picked him up at midnight on Saturday.
The NMA Chairman, Dr Celestine Ugwoke, expressed profound gratitude to God for Dr Orock’s miraculous escape. He also highlighted the alarming risk faced by doctors in the state, especially those working in tertiary health institutions.
“Doctors have become endangered professionals in Enugu State,” stated Dr Ugwoke. “We are living in fear as the kidnappers relentlessly target us, as if we are prey.”
Dr Ugwoke issued a stern warning that any further abduction of doctors at UNTH would result in a complete strike by doctors at the teaching hospital. He further threatened that this warning would extend to other tertiary hospitals in the state.
The NMA plans to meet with the Chief Medical Director of UNTH to demand the release of a security protocol to ensure the safety of all doctors, management staff, and patients within the hospital.
“We urgently need the hospital management to strengthen security measures, including proper perimeter fencing of the entire hospital and the installation of Close Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) with a monitoring base,” said Dr Ugwoke.
Prior to this incident, the NMA had made efforts to address the insecurity faced by members of the association while carrying out their life-saving professional duties. However, their attempts to engage with the State Commissioner for Health, the Commissioner of Police, and even the Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, have been unsuccessful.
“Perhaps, the government wants doctors to resort to protesting and carrying placards to the Enugu Government House before they pay attention to our concerns. Allowing the situation to escalate to this point would be highly regrettable,” warned Dr Ugwoke.
Media Talk Africa made several attempts to reach the spokesperson for the Enugu State Police Command, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, for comment. However, these efforts proved unsuccessful as he did not respond to multiple calls.
