Doctors at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owo, and its Akure Annex have commenced a 72-hour warning strike following the alleged assault of a medical practitioner while on duty at the hospital.
The industrial action was declared by the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), FMC Owo, after an incident in which a doctor was reportedly attacked while attending to patients.
According to reports, the altercation involved the wife of a patient, who allegedly assaulted the doctor during the course of his duties within the hospital premises on Sunday.
The situation reportedly escalated when some individuals later arrived at the facility searching for the doctor involved in the incident, prompting hospital staff to move him to a secure location for his safety.
In a communiqué jointly signed by the association’s President, Dr Adeola Oluwadamilola, and Secretary-General, Dr Dare Aderemi, the resident doctors condemned the incident and described it as part of a growing pattern of violence against healthcare workers.
The association alleged that the doctor was physically attacked by a patient and the patient’s daughter, noting that the latest incident marked the second reported assault on a doctor at the institution this year.
According to the doctors, repeated attacks on medical personnel pose serious risks to healthcare delivery and create an unsafe working environment for professionals committed to saving lives.
In response to the incident, the association announced a 72-hour warning strike and outlined several demands it wants addressed by the relevant authorities.
Among the demands are the immediate arrest and prosecution of all individuals allegedly involved in the assault, the deployment of armed security personnel to the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, and its annexes, as well as improved security measures to protect healthcare workers.
The association also called for a public apology from the alleged assailant to be published in a national newspaper and requested adequate compensation for the doctor affected by the incident.
The doctors maintained that healthcare professionals should be able to perform their duties without fear of intimidation, harassment or physical attacks.
The warning strike is expected to affect medical services at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, and its Akure Annex during the period of the industrial action.
The development has once again drawn attention to concerns over the safety of healthcare workers in Nigeria, with medical associations increasingly raising alarm over incidents of violence and aggression against doctors and other hospital personnel while carrying out their responsibilities.
The resident doctors insisted that urgent action is required to prevent future occurrences and ensure a safe environment for both healthcare workers and patients.
