Resident doctors embark on strike at OOUTH over assault of female house officer
The attack on a female house officer at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, OOUTH, prompted the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, or NARD, to order its members to stop working right away. The attack, which happened in the hospital’s Accident and Emergency unit following a patient’s death, was denounced by the association’s national executive officials.
NARD stated that once the young physician was recognised as one of the team members who cared for the deceased patient, he was picked out and attacked by roughly seven guys who were purportedly students at Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapade.
In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by their president, Dr. Mohammad Usman Suleiman, the doctors declared that the attack was outrageous and unacceptable.
Usman called the act “shocking and barbaric,” claiming that it was a direct threat to the safety of healthcare personnel and a flagrant violation of human dignity.
“Hospitals are not places of violence, but rather havens for healing. It is exceedingly unsettling that doctors are now physically harmed while performing their tasks, despite the fact that they nevertheless provide altruistic care under very difficult circumstances, such as delayed compensation and excessive workloads. Such activities must be dealt with firmly and decisively since they go right to the core of our healthcare system.
In accordance with its zero-tolerance policy for assaults against physicians, NARD said that all of its members, including house officers, would immediately stop providing services at OOUTH Sagamu until sufficient safety guarantees were given.
NARD demanded justice and warned that if the demands are not met, the walkout will escalate into a regional and national industrial dispute. They also called for the immediate identification, arrest, and punishment of all those responsible for the attack.
The management of Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapade, needs to work with security agencies right once to make sure the offenders are caught and dealt with appropriately. They must accept accountability for their students’ behaviour, which includes paying for any medical expenses and compensating the assaulted physician fairly.
“We demand that OOUTH Sagamu management immediately update and strengthen the hospital’s security architecture. In order to foster a secure and comfortable workplace, proactive steps must be taken to stop a recurrence in addition to resolving any welfare issues impacting our members.
