From Godwin Duru
A non profit organization, Health4All Media Initiative (HAMI) has called for the immediate release of kidnapped Kaduna nurses and other innocent Nigerians held in captivities across the state.
In a statement signed by the Secretary of the group Shola Ojo, HAMI expressed worry about this development because it was coming at a time the media, civil society and development partners are working with the Kaduna State Government to ensure the availability and affordability of medical services across the state.
It said statistics by NURHI (Impact Now) and other researchers indicate that Kaduna State loses 1,025 reproductive age women out of every 100,000 live births due to pregnancy complications, some of which occur as a result of non-availability of health workers at some primary health care centres after sunset.
The group appealed to individuals, corporate entities and other stakeholders to partner with HAMI and support the state government with technological devices that would improve security in hospitals, schools and other public infrastructure as a deliberate sustainable development.
HAMI urged persons responsible for these attacks to shift ground and allow innocent Nigerians who work legitimately to earn a living.
” We call on the Kaduna state government and security apparatuses to be more proactive by way of encouraging safe local intelligence gathering so they can step up their games ahead of sophisticated crimes in their areas of jurisdiction”.
“Failure to take steps in protecting our health facilities in good time will further hinder availability and accessibility to health care services during armed conflict and civil disturbances thereby skyrocketing the already worsening health statistics in Sub-Sahara Africa”.
HAMI is a group of seasoned health journalists who cut across electronic, print and new media working in collaboration with civil society and non-governmental organisations on improved healthcare service delivery in Kaduna State and Nigeria as a whole.