Attack: UITH-ARD commences 5-day strike over assault

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), on Friday commenced five days total strike over assault on one of its members.

Dr Mubaraq Ijaiya, the President of ARD-UITH chapter, confirmed this in Ilorin while addressing newsmen on the sidelines of a protest organised by the association on the recent attack on their member by relatives of a patient.

According to him, the members also demand for presence of armed security personnel at all emergency points within the hospital for the safety of their lives.

He explained that a resident doctor on emergency duty was assaulted by patient relatives along with other members of staff while resuscitating their patients.

The ARD-UITH president lamented that this is one of several episodes of physical assault on their members in 2022, with no culprit prosecuted to a logical conclusion and several other assaults that have occurred on healthcare workers in the last few months within the hospital.

He stated further that the index patient was a known patient in the facility being managed for a terminal illness.

“He was rushed to the Emergency Unit of the hospital on the Dec. 27 at about 7 a.m. He was promptly attended to and admitted for emergency management by the medical team on emergency duty.

“The necessary management plan was prescribed including some required investigations and his primary managing team was notified through a written consult and phone call,” he said.

Ijaiya explained further that contrary to misinformation, the patient was alive and was just stabilised by the same doctor when the relatives assaulted him.

He added that unfortunately despite the best efforts of the managing team, the patient passed away in the early hours of Dec. 28, while also condoling the family on the loss.