The protest by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) in Imo State turned bloody when policemen opened fire on the protesting doctors.
The doctors are protesting the alleged concessioning of public hospitals by the government.
A victim, Dr Bede Azudiaro, who was shot on the neck, is receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Federal Medical Center, (FMC), Owerri .
According to the chairman of the Guild of Nigerian Doctors, Dr Darlington Akukwu, they were on a “one-day protest against the anti-life policies of the Imo State Government when armed policemen ambushed them at Orlu junction and prevented them from continuing the protest.
“Before we began the rally, we wrote to the police, the Department of State Security (DSS) and the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). But this morning, as we were marching to the Government House, we were stopped by armed policemen at Orlu roundabout. They barricaded the road and said we cannot continue with the protest.
“We were peaceful in our conduct but while asking why they barricaded our way, three heavily-armed policemen came from nowhere and opened fire on us. We called the Commissioner of Police but he did not pick his calls.
“We are calling on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Solomon Arase, to produce the culprits,” Akukwu said.
A communiqué by the state chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr Emele Hyacinth condemned the “use of taskforce by the state government to regulate medical practice as against the provisions of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN)”.
The communiqué also condemned the concessioning of public health institutions, noting that the development “will not only make healthcare services unaffordable and inaccessible, but the state also stands to lose the assistance of donor agencies and partners”.
The doctors have begun a three-day warning strike to protest the shooting.
But the police have denied shooting the protesters.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Dave Akeremi said the doctors applied to the police to hold a peaceful protest that will end at the Freedom Square, and not the Government House.
