The Association of Resident Doctors at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) has declared an indefinite strike over the alleged assault of a house officer by an elderly woman at the hospital. The strike, which began at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, is the latest disruption to services at the teaching hospital over concerns about violence against healthcare workers.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Akwa Ibom State branch, announced the industrial action in a statement issued on its Facebook page on Wednesday after an emergency general meeting of the resident doctors. The association condemned the assault as “barbaric” and unacceptable, saying healthcare workers must be able to perform their duties in an environment free from intimidation and violence.
It gave the hospital management and relevant security agencies 48 hours to identify and prosecute 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. It also demanded the immediate strengthening of security measures across health facilities in the state to protect healthcare workers, patients and hospital property.
The latest strike comes only months after another industrial action at UUTH was triggered by an alleged assault on medical personnel. In May, PREMIUM TIMES reported that doctors in Akwa Ibom embarked on an indefinite strike following a controversial operation by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) officials at the teaching hospital.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the 12 May operation triggered panic at the hospital, disrupted clinical services and forced workers and patients to flee after witnesses alleged that EFCC operatives fired tear gas during the operation. The incident centred on the arrest of Eyo Ekpe, a professor and deputy chairman of the hospital’s Medical Advisory