The International Committee for Red Cross (ICRC) has raised an alarm over increasing impediment to health care delivery due to incessant restrictions and insecurity across the country.

“We should respect the sick and wounded, everyone deserves access to health care at all times.

“Healthcare workers can only work when they are safe, so do not bring weapons into health care facilities and do not fire weapons in the proximity of a healthcare facility,” according to the Red Cross. 

The Red Cross expressed the worry at a workshop organised for journalists and Monitoring and Evaluation Officers of healthcare facilities in Awka, the Anambra capital on Saturday.

Constancia Amagba, Health Coordinator of ICRC, Anambra Chapter, said danger to healthcare delivery included physical and verbal assault which could affect the comfort or mental balance of a healthcare worker.

Amagba said people who needed medical attention had been denied services because of restriction of movement including enforcement of curfew and sit at home protests.

She said kidnapping and violence against healthcare workers compromised functioning of the system and caused harm to the sick and wounded.

According to her, any act of verbal or physical violence or obstruction or threat of violence that interferes with the availability, access and delivery of curative and/or preventive health services during emergencies is a danger to healthcare.

(NAN)