Nurses at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu, Ogun State, have reportedly staged a protest and declared immediate strike action after a colleague was allegedly slapped, beaten and strangled by a relative of a deceased patient during a night shift.

The incident, which reportedly occurred at the hospital’s Children’s Ward, has reignited concerns about the safety of healthcare workers, alleged staff shortages and security arrangements at the state-owned tertiary hospitals.

The development comes just days after health workers at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, Ogun State, reportedly declared a warning strike over the assault of their colleagues by a patient’s relative, raising fresh concerns about recurring attacks on medical personnel in the state’s health facilities.

The reoccurrence incidents have intensified calls for stronger security measures and accountability in hospitals, where healthcare workers are expected to attend to emergencies while dealing with distressed patients and relatives.

The assaulted OOUTH nurse, identified as Nurse Adeeko, reportedly sustained injuries, suffered a temporary loss of consciousness and was subsequently taken to the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department for treatment.

The nurses’ protest followed demands by nursing staff for an impartial investigation into the alleged assault, improved security coverage, adequate staffing and assurances that healthcare workers would not be exposed to violence while attending to patients.

The Nation gathered that the confrontation occurred after the death of a critically ill child reportedly diagnosed with end-stage neuroblastoma.

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The nursing team had informed the attending medical team about the child’s deteriorating condition and allegedly requested a referral to another hospital for further management.

However, the report claimed that the referral was not carried out before the child died.

The deceased child’s relatives were also alleged to have threatened to cause trouble if anything happened to the patient.

Following the death, one of the relatives allegedly turned violent and attacked Adeeko while she was on duty.

The incident report further stated that two patients reportedly suffered cardiac arrest around the same period, leaving the two nurses on duty attending to separate medical emergencies.

While the nurses were occupied with efforts to save the critically ill patients, the deceased child’s relative allegedly attacked Adeeko. (The Nation)