Medical services at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) were disrupted on Thursday after resident doctors suspended their duties to protest the alleged assault of one of their colleagues by a bereaved woman.
The protest followed an incident on Wednesday at the hospital’s Paediatrics Department, where a woman, said to have lost her child, allegedly attacked a doctor attending to the case.
When our correspondent visited the hospital on Thursday, many out-patients who arrived as early as 7:00 a.m. were left waiting for several hours without receiving medical attention as the protest affected clinical services across departments.
The assaulted doctor was reportedly receiving treatment in critical condition, while the woman involved has been arrested. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Carrying placards and marching peacefully within the hospital premises, members of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) condemned what they described as a growing trend of violence against healthcare workers.
Addressing patients during the protest, the spokesperson for the doctors, Dr. E. Oladepo, said the latest assault was the third such incident recorded at the hospital.
“”This is the third time such an incident is happening in this hospital.
“We cannot continue to work under threats and physical attacks,” he said.
Oladepo questioned why doctors committed to saving lives should become victims of violence from those seeking medical care.
“”Should doctors be subjected to this kind of inhuman treatment by people who genuinely want quality healthcare?
“At a time when many of our colleagues have already left the country for greener pastures, incidents like this only worsen the situation,” he added.
A hospital source disclosed that the industrial action could last up to five days as the doctors press for justice for their assaulted colleague, with expectations that normal services may resume on Monday.
The source, however, noted that consultant physicians may continue attending to emergency cases to ensure critically ill patients are not left without medical care.
The protest forced many patients to leave the hospital without seeing doctors, while others expressed concern over the disruption and appealed for a quick resolution of the crisis. (vitalnewsngr.com)
