Anambra Doctors Suspend Strike After Three Days, Bringing Relief to Patients

Medical doctors in Anambra State have suspended their indefinite strike, which they had declared three days earlier. The strike, organized by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), followed the abduction of Dr. Steven Ezeh, a private practitioner and Chief Medical Director of Vera Clinic in Ihiala, who was kidnapped from his home in Umunnamehi Village, Ihiala LGA, on August 15.

The NMA had initially issued a warning after Ezeh’s kidnapping, giving the Anambra State Government a 48-hour ultimatum for his release. The association threatened to halt medical services in both public and private hospitals across the state if the deadline was not met.

In response to their demands not being met, the NMA declared a statewide strike on Thursday, disrupting medical services and leaving many patients without care. Some hospitals, like Regina Caeli Hospital, were forced to turn away patients and cancel medical outreach programs.

A trader, Mrs. Onyekachi Ugwueze, shared her experience of being unable to get treatment for her mother due to the strike. She lamented that even private hospitals were closed, leaving her family to rely on self-medication.

Fortunately, the strike came to an end on Sunday after Dr. Ezeh was released. NMA leaders, Dr. Princeton Okam and Dr. Obiaeli Ifeanyi, announced the suspension of the strike, and clinical services resumed on August 25.

They expressed gratitude to the people of Anambra for their understanding and support during the ordeal and called on their colleagues to remain committed to providing healthcare despite the challenges, particularly the insecurity that has led to frequent strikes in the state.

Earlier in the year, similar strikes occurred when lawyers under the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) also took action in response to the kidnapping of one of their members. Both groups continue to raise concerns about the growing insecurity in Anambra State, which has disrupted services and affected their professions.