Medical activities were paralysed on Monday at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owo, Ondo State, as resident doctors staged a protest over the alleged assault of a colleague.

The protest, led by the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), followed an incident in which a doctor on duty was reportedly attacked by a relative of a patient within the hospital premises.

The doctors, who chanted solidarity songs on the hospital premises, carried placards bearing inscriptions such as “Say no to violence against healthcare workers,” and “The hands that heal should not bleed,” among others.

Addressing journalists during the protest, the ARD President, Dr Oluwadamilola Adeola, decried what he described as a rising trend of violence against health workers.

He noted that the hospital had recorded several such incidents this year, many of which were not formally reported.

Adeola said the peaceful demonstration aimed to sensitise both the hospital community and the general public on the need to end attacks on healthcare workers.

“The peaceful protest is meant to sensitise our hospital community concerning these recurring assaults against health workers. It’s been recurring. This year, we now have about three or four cases.

“There are some that are not even reported. They are underreported, but we are standing to sensitise our people to the fact that enough is enough. Enough to assault health workers. The hand they use should not bleed. So this is the aim of this demonstration,” he said.

He listed the association’s demands to include the arrest and prosecution of the alleged assailant, the deployment of armed security personnel to vulnerable areas of the hospital, and a public apology from the suspect.

The ARD President also raised concerns over alleged threats made by the suspect to return and harm medical personnel.

“Our demands basically, we just had a recent one. We want the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrator. We want this to be done in earnest. So our people are not satisfied with its slow pace. We also want armed security personnel at our gates.

“We want it so that at least our people will feel secure to walk. Then we also want a public apology from these perpetrators. We want all of these done. There won’t be a reoccurrence of this assault,” he added.

Dr Adeola also disclosed that doctors at the FMC Owo had commenced a strike due to safety concerns, citing inadequate security and the facility’s porous nature.

He added that industrial harmony could not be guaranteed until the issues were addressed.

Also speaking, a Senior Registrar in the Department of Family Medicine, Dr Dotun Odunmade, said the protest was meant to reinforce zero tolerance for violence against all categories of health workers.

He urged patients and their relatives to channel grievances through appropriate complaint mechanisms rather than resort to threats or physical attacks.

“As a body, we stand against any form of violence against any health worker, which is inclusive of the doctors, the nurses, every other paramedic and every other health professional working to save lives in the hospital.

“First, there should be increased awareness within the hospital and also in the community that the hospital is a place for serenity. There is no room for jungle justice.

“If a patient or any relative is not satisfied with the health care they receive, there are channels through which they can go to report where those culprits can be questioned and even prosecuted.

“Then we also want the hospital management to ensure that there are armed security men around the hospital to maintain order for those relatives who will not be able to comply with the rules within the hospital,” Odunmade added.

Another resident doctor, Otto Victor, said the association was seeking justice for the assaulted colleague and improved security measures to prevent a recurrence.

Responding on behalf of the hospital management, the Acting Head of Clinical Services, Akinola Adeyemi, expressed sympathy for the affected doctor and assured staff of management’s commitment to their safety.

Adeyemi said efforts were underway to prosecute those involved and strengthen security across the facility, including the possible deployment of armed personnel. (The Nation)

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