Resident doctors protest repeated assaults in Ondo hospital

Doctors at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owo in Ondo State staged a protest on Monday, voicing their outrage over the repeated assaults on healthcare workers by relatives of patients. The demonstration, organized by the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), FMC Owo branch, highlighted the persistent nature of these attacks and the perceived lack of adequate sanctions against the perpetrators.

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It has been recurring. This year alone, we have had about three or four cases. Some are even unreported.

Dr. Oluwadamilola Adeola, Chairman of the FMC Owo ARD, described the protest as a sensitization effort to underscore the escalating violence against health workers. "This year alone, we have had about three or four cases. Some are even unreported," Adeola stated, emphasizing that the situation has reached a breaking point. The doctors carried placards with messages like "Say no to violence against healthcare workers" and "The hands that heal should not bleed," underscoring the physical and emotional toll of these attacks.

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The hand they use should not bleed. The aim of this demonstration is to demand arrest and prosecution of perpetrators, and we want this done in earnest because our members are not satisfied with the slow pace of justice.

The ARD presented a list of demands, including the immediate arrest and prosecution of those involved in assaults. They expressed dissatisfaction with the slow pace of justice, noting a pending case from earlier in the year where a health worker was assaulted and hospitalized, with the perpetrator allegedly issuing threats. The association also called for the deployment of armed security personnel to ensure the safety of staff and demanded a public apology from the offenders as a deterrent.

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We also want armed security personnel at our gates so that our people will feel secure to work.

Furthermore, the protest addressed the ongoing industrial action at the hospital's Akure annex, which is linked to security concerns. The doctors stated that they do not feel safe due to the porous gate and lack of armed security. They warned that industrial harmony cannot be guaranteed if their demands are not met promptly. Dr. Dotun Odumade, a Senior Registrar, stressed that the hospital should be a place of serenity and that jungle justice has no place, urging the use of proper complaint channels for grievances.

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We want increased awareness within the hospital and community that the hospital is a place of serenity. There is no room for jungle justice.