‏The Akwa Ibom state chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has began an indefinite strike to protest what it described as alleged illegal invasion of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital and assault on health workers by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Consequently the association has called for the arrest and prosecution of all the officials involved in the dastardly act.
According to reports, EFCC operation at teaching hospital on Tuesday disrupted healthcare services as patients, health workers flee facility.

The operation triggered panic in the Hospital with patients left unattended to while a senior hospital official was arrested by the security officials.
Witnesses said that armed operatives stormed the hospital in two salon cars, a tinted bus, while some of them wore masks, with a few wearing the EFCC insignia.

During the operation, a Professor of cardiothoracic surgeon and Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, of the hospital, Eyo Ekpe was arrested but the reason for his arrest remains unknown.

Speaking with The Guardian, the state Chairman of NMA, Dr Aniekan Imo Peter who was also a victim of the teargas during the incident expressed outrage over the the way and manner the masked and fully armed EFCC officials invaded the hospital and harassed both health workers and patients by firing both gun shot and teargas within the hospital.

Peter who was gasping for breath while talking to The Guardian said, ” I am trying to get myself, I asthmatic and I inhaled teargas, do you know how many more people that are having symptoms of crisis, it is an illegal invasion of the hospital space by the men of EFCC and people taking laws into their hands. If they had wanted to invite any doctor to their office, there is no doctor that will not respect them and honour their invitation.

They came to the hospital, fired gun shot, shot a lot tear gas inside the hospital , even in a war situation, nobody will shoot gun or tear gas inside a hospital”.

“But EFCC operatives came to descrate the temple of the hospital. They masked themselves into the hospital, they beat a professor to stupor and handcuffed him in front of his patients.

We have already started an indefinite strike throughout the state and other responses will follow, if I am a bit better, we will have a world press conference tomorrow and we take it up from there”.

Peter called for immediate release of all the health workers that were arrested during the EFCC raid and demanded that all the phones taken be given back to their owners.

He lamented the poor treatment being meted out on doctors and other health workers in the country despite their dedication and sacrifices. “We stayed back in this country to work almost free of charge due to our dedication because when we look at the salaries our colleagues are earning outside the country, we are absolutely working free of charge in this country.

A doctor in Nigeria cannot afford even a Tokunbo car but a doctor that started work today in South Africa can buy a brand new car. The people must be arrested and prosecuted’ .