Resident doctors at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owo, Ondo State, have staged a peaceful protest over the alleged assault on one of their colleagues. They demanded the immediate prosecution of the suspect and the deployment of armed security personnel across the hospital’s facilities.
The doctors, under the aegis of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), said the demonstration was aimed at drawing attention to the recurring attacks on healthcare workers and the urgent need to guarantee their safety while rendering medical services.
Addressing journalists during the protest, the ARD president, Dr Oluwadamilola Adeola, lamented what he described as a growing trend of assaults against health workers, noting that the hospital had recorded several cases this year, with many incidents going unreported.
He said the peaceful walk was organised to sensitise both the hospital community and the public on the need to end violence against healthcare workers, stressing that those entrusted with saving lives should not become victims of attacks.
According to Adeola, the association’s immediate demands include the arrest and prosecution of the individual accused of assaulting a doctor, the deployment of armed security personnel to vulnerable hospital facilities and a public apology from the alleged perpetrator.
He expressed concern that the suspect allegedly threatened to return and kidnap or kill a doctor, warning that healthcare workers could no longer ignore such threats.
“We cannot wait until a doctor is killed before action is taken. Enough is enough. The hands that heal should not bleed,” he said.
The ARD president disclosed that doctors at the FMC Owo annex were currently on strike because workers no longer felt safe due to inadequate security and the facility’s porous nature. He added that the association could not guarantee industrial harmony until its demands were met.
Also speaking, a Senior Registrar in the Department of Family Medicine, Dr Ndumade Faith, said the protest was intended to reinforce the message that violence against any health worker, including doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, was unacceptable.
Faith urged patients and their relatives to use established complaint channels whenever they were dissatisfied with healthcare services, rather than resorting to threats or physical attacks.
He warned that healthcare workers might be forced to review their services if adequate protection was not provided.
Responding on behalf of FMC Owo’s management, the Acting Head of Clinical Services, Dr Akinola Adeyemi, sympathised with the affected doctor and assured staff that management was committed to ensuring the safety of all workers.
He said efforts were already underway to prosecute those involved in the assault and strengthen security across the hospital’s facilities, including the deployment of armed security personnel where necessary.