UITH Doctors End Strike Following Assault on Female Colleague

Members of the Association of Resident Doctors, ARD, at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital in Kwara State have called off the strike action embarked upon in response to the assault on a female doctor by the father of a two-year-old boy who died while receiving treatment at the Paediatrics Emergency Department of the health facility on Wednesday.

DAILY POST gathered on Friday that the strike action was called off following the intervention of concerned stakeholders who waded into the incident.

Medical doctors at the health facility had embarked on a five-day strike to protest the assault on one of their female colleagues by Emmanuel Olatunji, the father of the two-year-old boy who died while undergoing treatment at the hospital on Wednesday.

The father of the deceased child, who returned to the hospital two hours after leaving the child with the mother, allegedly assaulted the female doctor, who had provided the admission pack from her own pocket to facilitate the child’s treatment in his absence.

Several patients who required medical attention at the hospital on Thursday and Friday went home disappointed as they were not attended to due to the strike action.

Reacting to the development, the management of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) on Friday condemned in strong terms the physical assault on one of the hospital’s medical doctors by a relative of a patient.

The management, in a statement issued in Ilorin on Friday by the hospital’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Abiodun Fagbemi, said, “It places the highest value on the lives, safety and welfare of all members of staff in recognition of their unwavering dedication and invaluable contributions to the growth and progress of the hospital.

“At the same time, the health, safety and well-being of our patients remain our foremost priority.”

The hospital, however, said it maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of assault, whether verbal or physical, against its healthcare personnel, particularly while they are discharging their professional responsibilities.

“To ensure that concerns are addressed appropriately, the management has established peaceful, accessible and effective channels through which patients and their relatives can lodge complaints or seek redress whenever necessary.

“In addition, notices cautioning against all forms of assault on healthcare workers have been strategically displayed across the hospital in various Nigerian languages, as well as in English, to promote awareness and encourage responsible conduct,” the management added.

According to the statement, “Furthermore, security personnel across our facilities have been placed on heightened alert to prevent any recurrence of such incidents and to ensure the continued safety of staff, patients and visitors.”

The management stated that it fully supports the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) in pursuing all lawful avenues in response to the incident.

“We understand that the suspect has either been arraigned or is in the process of being arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction as of the time of this statement.

“While the management strongly condemns all forms of violence and uncivil behaviour, we remain committed to providing quality healthcare services in a safe, respectful and welcoming environment.”

Eze Chidiebere Paul

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