Doctors at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) in Akwa Ibom State have ended their strike. The strike was over the alleged assault of a doctor at the hospital.
Tiemah Akpabio, the Chairperson of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Akwa Ibom State, confirmed this news to PREMIUM TIMES on Friday night.
Ms Akpabio said the decision came after a meeting of the state executive council of the association. The family of the woman accused of assaulting a doctor apologized, and the hospital management got involved in the matter.
She stated that the strike would officially end at 8 a.m. on Saturday, September 5.
"The family has made an apology. The management has also said they will look into matters of assault. A committee will be set up to find ways to protect the workers in the hospital.
"Based on that, they have called off the strike," she told PREMIUM TIMES.
The NMA chairperson mentioned that an official statement about the decision would be released soon.
Apology Given
In a letter dated September 2, Susana Adie, who is the President of the Association of Resident Doctors at UUTH, apologized for her behavior during a visit to the hospital’s diabetic unit on September 1.
Ms Adie expressed regret for her actions and admitted to assaulting doctor Edidiong Ubia while trying to get clarification about her medical prescription.
She also took back the harsh words she said during the incident and apologized to the doctor, the resident doctors’ association, and the hospital community.
"I sincerely regret my actions and any unpleasantness that may have arisen from the incident," she wrote in the letter.
She asked the resident doctors to accept her apology and help avoid "continued tension and resentment" between her and the medical profession.
The apology came after the Association of Resident Doctors started an indefinite strike on Wednesday due to the alleged assault.
Another Strike Over Safety Issues
This strike is the latest problem at UUTH regarding the safety of health workers.
PREMIUM TIMES reported on Thursday that the resident doctors began the strike after an elderly woman reportedly assaulted a house officer at the hospital.
The NMA demanded that the hospital management and security agencies find and punish those responsible within 48 hours. They also called for better security at health facilities.
This incident happened just four months after another crisis at the same hospital led to a strike by doctors.
In May, PREMIUM TIMES reported that doctors in Akwa Ibom went on an indefinite strike after an operation by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives at UUTH.
The operation involved the arrest of a senior hospital official, which caused panic and disrupted clinical services.
The EFCC later apologized to the affected doctor and the medical community, leading the NMA to suspend its strike.
The recurring strikes over assaults and safety issues have raised concerns about how healthcare workers are protected at the federal tertiary hospital.
Following the May incident, the federal government ordered measures to improve the protection of healthcare workers across the country.
PREMIUM TIMES also reported that a committee set up by the government found that the UUTH incident was not unique. They identified 18 cases of assault, intimidation, or harassment at federal tertiary health institutions in the past twelve months.
With Friday’s decision, normal medical services at UUTH are expected to resume from 8 a.m. on Saturday.
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