Lagos NMA directs doctors to embark on indefinite sit-at-home over police harassment

The Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA has directed doctors in the state to embark on an indefinite sit-at-home order to protest persistent police harassment’ on medical doctors and other health workers in the state amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

This was revealed on Wednesday in a statement jointly signed by the State Chairman of the NMA, Dr Saliu Oseni and the Secretary, Dr Ramon Moronkola, which blamed the incidents on conflicting directives by government.

The statement by the NMA noted that the sit-at-home order is expected to begin today, (Wednesday), 20th May 2020, from 6 pm, as it was no longer safe for their members to continue to provide healthcare services under the present confused arrangement.

In the statement, the NMA lamented the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, has been issuing conflicting directives that essential workers, including doctors and other health workers were not exempted, despite the directives by President Muhammadu Buhari, through the Presidential Taskforce on COVID 19, which was clear 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.

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“The healthcare workers were either resuming duty, returning home, or on-transit to heed an emergency call.

“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 statement added.

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