The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) on Tuesday commenced a three-day warning strike over an alleged assault of one of its members by the family of a patient.
The President, ARD-UITH, Dr. Lanre Olosunde, who disclosed this to newsmen in Ilorin, said a member of the association was attacked and sustained a physical and psychological injury, NAN reports.
He explained that such assault could have caused more serious injuries or even resulted in the death of the doctor.
“The assailant also issued a threat to mobilize thugs from town to stage another attack on the staff of the Accident and Emergency unit,” he said.
“The crowd control at the Accident and Emergency Unit and other service points is still grossly poor.
“It has the potential of causing similar security breaches in the future and also facilitates the hospital spread of infections.
“The unavailability of required Personal Protective Equipment for the protection of doctors at the A&E was identified as a factor that would continue to fuel delays in the delivery of emergency services and hence increase perceived neglect of patients and their relatives,” he said.
According to him, the police officers and other security personnel in UITH have resorted to deliberately putting the blame on the doctors that were assaulted rather than objectively investigating the matter and making necessary arrests.
He also said the warning strike is not to punish patients but hoping that necessary safety measures for members would be put in place by the hospital.
He said that the association had resolved that the management of the hospital must ensure the assailant who committed the crime is arrested and a process of prosecution commenced.
“The current PPE distribution system at UITH should be reviewed to ensure they are readily available at every service point and especially emergency care service point.
“The UITH should release an official public statement with regards to this occurrence to give proper orientation to the general public on the formal ways available to channel complaints about hospital services and a warning to the public of grave repercussions if they assault any healthcare workers.
“We will also sensitize our members on effective communication and conflict resolution. We will also have conferences to ensure members have skills in resolving issues,” he added.
