Patients visiting the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) on Monday were turned away as resident doctors joined a nationwide warning strike. The strike, called by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), is in protest of the eight-month abduction of Dr. Ganiyat Popoola, a senior registrar in the Department of Ophthalmology, National Eye Centre, Kaduna.
Many patients, who had traveled from various locations, were denied treatment and told to leave. One patient, Felicia, expressed frustration, saying she had spent over N3,000 on transportation and braved an early morning downpour, only to be turned away.
The strike, which began on August 26, is “total” and includes no emergency care, according to NARD President Dr. Dele Abdullahi. The association had previously held protest rallies calling for Dr. Popoola’s unconditional release, but to no avail. Her husband was released in March, but Dr. Popoola and her nephew remain in captivity.
