According to a report by Vanguard, the Cross River State Chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has directed all its members to observe a total and indefinite withdrawal of services to members of the public until their abducted colleague, Dr Usang Ekanem, is safely released and measures taken to forestall future occurrences.
Addressing journalists at the end of an emergency general meeting in Calabar Friday, Chairman of the Association, Dr Effiong Mkpanam, decried “an upsurge in the cases of targeted kidnapping of Medical Practitioners.”
Mkpanam said Ekanem, who is with the College of Education Medical Centre in Akamkpa local government area, was abducted on December 26, 2017, with the kidnappers demanding a ransome of N100 million.
His words : “The NMA CRS hereby instructs all its members, both in Public and Private Medical Facilities (University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Institutional Hospitals, General Hospitals, Medical Centres, Mission Hospitals and Private Clinics and Hospitals) within Cross River State, that as from 8.00am of Monday 8th January, 2018, to observe a total and indefinite withdrawal of services to members of the public, until such a time that our Colleague is safely released by his captors and measures taken to forestall future occurrences,” he said.