Doctors at Uyo Teaching Hospital go on strike after attack on colleague

The Association of Resident Doctors at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital has started an indefinite strike. This follows the alleged assault of a house officer by an elderly woman at the hospital.

The strike began at 8 a.m. on Wednesday. This action adds to the list of disruptions at the teaching hospital due to violence against healthcare workers.

The Nigerian Medical Association, Akwa Ibom State branch, shared the news on its Facebook page. They announced the strike after an emergency meeting of the resident doctors.

The association condemned the attack as “barbaric” and unacceptable. They stressed that healthcare workers need a safe environment to do their jobs without fear.

They gave the hospital management and security agencies 48 hours to find and punish those responsible for the assault. “The NMA-AKS hereby demands that relevant security agencies and the management of UUTH within 48 hours of this release, identify, apprehend, and bring the perpetrators of this assault to book,” the association said.

The doctors also called for better security at health facilities in the state. They want to ensure the safety of healthcare workers, patients, and hospital property.

This latest strike comes just months after another one at UUTH. That strike began after an alleged attack on medical staff.

In May, PREMIUM TIMES reported that doctors in Akwa Ibom went on an indefinite strike after an incident involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission at the teaching hospital. The operation caused panic, disrupted services, and forced workers and patients to flee.

The incident involved the arrest of Eyo Ekpe, a professor and deputy chairman of the hospital's Medical Advisory Committee. The Chief Medical Director, Emem Bassey, later said some staff were brutalized and five workers, including Mr. Ekpe, were arrested before being released.

Initially, the EFCC denied the claims of assault but later promised to investigate the matter. The chairperson of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, eventually apologized to Mr. Ekpe and the NMA, leading to the end of that strike.

The new strike raises more worries about the safety of medical workers at UUTH. It also questions the hospital's ability to provide uninterrupted services.

In August, the federal government ordered measures to protect health workers after a report by a ministerial committee. This committee found that the Uyo incident was not unique, identifying 18 cases of assault or harassment in federal health institutions over the past year.

Mr. Bassey confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that the resident doctors started the strike but urged them to reconsider. “We are doing our best. Resident doctors did commence the strike action yesterday. We are doing our best to assuage the situation,” he said on Thursday.

He described the incident as “unfortunate” and mentioned the elderly woman who allegedly attacked the house officer. “It was an unfortunate situation involving an old woman molesting a house officer. That is what health workers face all the time and people don’t know,” he said.

He condemned the assault and emphasized that no patient or relative should physically attack a healthcare worker. “Nobody has the right to lay hands on any health worker. There is even a national policy on this now,” he said.

Bassey said the hospital management has been in talks with the resident doctors to resolve the issue. He mentioned that the elderly woman and the patient involved returned to the hospital to apologize.

“I am told the patients and the old woman came in yesterday and tendered unreserved apology. We are hoping that the resident doctors will accept that and move on,” he said.

He questioned what would be gained from arresting the elderly woman, even though he agreed her actions were wrong. “An old woman did this. What will we gain if we get an old woman arrested? Yes, she erred. But what will anyone gain?” he asked.

He expressed hope that the resident doctors would accept the apology and return to work. Regarding future assaults, the CMD mentioned that UUTH has security measures but admitted it is hard to have security everywhere all the time.

“The hospital has always put in place security measures but it would be near impossible to cover every unit 24 hours,” he said. He also noted that public attitudes toward healthcare workers need to change.

“It is about the society. People need to understand and be responsible for their actions,” he said. Bassey urged patients and their relatives to use proper complaint channels instead of resorting to violence.

“People should understand that they can be upset and there are proper mechanisms to seek redress but not to put your hands on any health worker irrespective of the rank of that health worker,” he said.

“Health workers are human beings too. They could make mistakes. Their mistakes do not give you the right to molest any health worker. Seek redress through the proper channel.”

The NMA stated it stands with the resident doctors. They called on the management of UUTH and other stakeholders to resolve the issue quickly and restore healthcare services.

This latest strike also comes after previous disruptions affecting services at UUTH. In January, PREMIUM TIMES reported that a nationwide strike by the Joint Health Sector Unions left only limited services at the hospital. Important departments like pharmacy, laboratory, and radiology were closed. Patients had to seek care elsewhere, often at higher costs.

Now, with this new strike focused on the safety of medical staff, patients at UUTH are facing another disruption in healthcare services just four months after the previous crisis.