The medical doctors on Tuesday abandoned their hospitals in Cross River State and took to the streets to demand the immediate release of one of its members, Professor Ekanem Ephraim who has been in captivity for three weeks.
The doctors, who were in all-white attire, defied heavy downpours and marched through major streets in Calabar with their Chairman, Dr Felix Archibong in the lead.
New Telegraph recalls that the doctors have been on strike since the kidnap of Doctor Ephraim about three weeks ago. They had placards with various inscriptions such as: “Set Cross River free from the stranglehold of kidnappers;” “Free all persons held captive by kidnappers.”
The doctors started their march from the General Hospital Calabar to the governor’s temporary office at Dan Archibong Lodge, a distance of about three kilometres.
They however, did not meet the governor, as he was said to have travelled out of the state, forcing them to head to the House of Assembly where they had an audience with the Speaker, Mr Elvert Ayambem.
At the Assembly, Dr Archibong told the Speaker that doctors in the state have been made the target of ransom extortion by hoodlums who have continually kidnapped members because they see doctors as cash cows.
“For the past nineteen days, Professor Ephraim, a grandmother in her sixties has been held in the forest under torrential rain by heartless fellows who want to extort money from her.
“We are tired of going through this kind of situation with people who come to us for treatment when they fall sick. Is it because we have chosen to stay back in Cross River to render our services to the people that we are being subjected to this inhuman treatment?”
He called on the government to expedite efforts to facilitate the release of the woman and others in captivity to avoid their death in captivity.
“We shall keep the protest on the street and continue to come here until our member is set free from captivity”
The Speaker told the doctors to exercise patience while efforts were being made to rescue their members from captivity.
“Efforts are being put in place to acquire sophisticated gadgets to beef up security in the state to ensure that in the next six months, situations like this would not take place again in our state”
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