BY: EMMANUEL CHUKWUMA, ENUGU.
A medical laboratory scientist, Mr. Anthony Obieke, has decried the lack of access to rural patients as a result of persistent insecurity affecting Imo State.
Obieke, who resides in Owerri, the Imo capital, but hails from Ihiala council area of Anambra, said that the ravaging insecurity has affected his work and personal life in many ways.
The laboratory scientist cum public health officer said that for over four years, he has not been able to pass a night at his ancestral home in Ihiala, with reports of kidnappings posing a serious threat to his life.
He also said that insecurity and fear of the unknown have made it difficult for him to access patients in some areas around Owerri, such as Ihiagwa and Ulakwo.
This, he said, caused him to shut down an office annex in Ulakwo where there have been pockets of violence and reports of kidnapping.
“Since I can no longer offer home services to patients whose health conditions may not permit them to visit the clinic, and the same is also affecting other health care workers, the negative effect is much on our patients”, he said.
He added that some unruly persons in the rural areas were taking advantage of the situation to try to force him home under the guise of imposed destiny and mandatory traditional obligations.
He urged governments at all levels to think out of the box to remedy the situation holistically.
“There is palpable uncertainty about the security of lives in Nigeria, and the government must intervene to enable citizens to go about their legitimate businesses without fear”, he said.
