Medical doctors at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu State, have protested against an attack on their colleague on duty by the relatives of a patient.
Bellnews Online gathered on Saturday that relatives of the patient a few days ago attacked and wounded the doctor on duty at the hospital.
The attackers were said to have fled with the patient after the assault.
However, the doctors who were under the aegis of Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), in a protest letter to the management of the hospital on Friday after an emergency meeting condemned the attack.
While vowing that they would no longer tolerate attacks on their members on legitimate duty, the ARD urged people to report their grievances to the appropriate authorities for redress rather than resulting to self-help.
In a protest letter signed by UNTH ARD President and Secretary, Dr. Jide Uzoigwe and Dr Chinazom Ekwueme, respectively, the association said it observed with dismay the recurrent cases of assault of their members while on duty inside the hospital by patients’ relatives, describing it as wrong approach to whatever grievances.
The letter partly read, “The President, Dr. Jide Uzoigwe constituted a security committee with Dr. Emmanuel Ogbu as the Chairman. The Committee has been working together with the hospital management to ensure the resolutions are implemented.
“So far, our demands are being attended to by the hospital management within the timeline we gave. It has commenced the fixing of appropriate locks on all call rooms within 48 hours after our emergency meeting, which was May 31, 2022.
“We are also glad that the police and other security agents have launched a manhunt for the culprit who assaulted one of our members. We are hopeful he will soon be apprehended to face the full wrath of the law.”
While calling for an overhaul of the hospital security in a bid to address the development, the doctors equally demanded for “provision of able bodied, educated, age-appropriate, and well-equipped security personnel at strategic points like Accident and Emergency Unit, Children’s Emergency Unit, Newborn Special Care Unit and all the major wards and clinics in the hospital.”
Other demands are; Provision of emergency security hotlines for hospital staff, mounting of posters and flyers at strategic points in UNTH stating the consequences of assaulting a health worker on duty.
“Comportment forms shall be provided to be signed by the patient’s relatives before admission of patients; provision of adequate lighting (solar preferable) at all corridors and corners of the hospital.”
The ARD warned the general public “to desist from assaulting any doctor, health worker and in fact any staff of the hospital,” stressing that “any grievance should be channeled via the appropriate quarters.”