Estimated reading time: 22 minute(s)
Adetutu Sobowale
Pandemonium broke out Tuesday at the Federal Medical Centre ,Idi-Aba,Ogun state when the relatives of a father and his son beat up a medical doctor and a nurse after their family member was pronounced dead .
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the Medical Officers were said to have been slapped and beaten by the husband and son of the patient when she was announced dead at about 2 am on Tuesday .
Narrating the incident to Journalists, the Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) Ogun State chapter lamented about the incident during a press conference.
Ashimi said all efforts to calm the father and son down proved abortive despite the presence of police officers from the Kemta Police division.
The NMA Chairman narrated that the patient was brought into the facility on Monday at the end stage of heart failure, adding that despite all efforts to save her life she died at about 2 am on Tuesday.
“We are here to let the world know of the assault and violence committed against medical personnel at the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta.
“A 53-year-old woman who was presented to the hospital with a severe form of heart failure which in itself after all the investigations including the ones she brought from the center that referred her showed that it will take more than a miracle for the woman to survive.
“In other words, she was at the end stage of heart failure. This was explained to the relatives when she was brought to the facility but notwithstanding we also believe in miracles and we feel that we should do our best to see what can happen.
“It has happened before that one other person in this kind of condition got better with the appropriate care.
“But unfortunately, this particular patient gave up the ghost around 2 am and the husband and son of the deceased descended on the doctor that had been taking care of the patient when the news of her death was announced.
“The doctor and nurse received a slap from each of them and subsequently they descended on the nurse who was only saved by people around.”
The association chairman noted that police were alerted about the event, adding that despite their presence the son continued with the assault.
“The police were appropriately called and the DPO of Kemta Police Station led the police team to the scene.
“Despite the presence of the police, the son of the deceased assaulted a nurse, and all efforts to calm him proved abortive.
The duo were eventually taken to Kemta Police Station where their statements were taken and that of the assaulted doctor, nurse, and witnesses around.” He narrated
… We Will Prosecute Anyone That Perpetrates Assault Against Our Members-NMA
The NMA chairman vowed to prosecute anybody found guilty of assaulting any medical personnel according to the law.
He warned Nigerians to desist from assaulting healthcare givers, saying patients and their relatives are often responsible for their woes.
“We have decided that this will be the last and we will not stop at pleadings. We have decided to take the case to the court and we shall be in t tomorrow.
“Every legal proceeding has been commenced and we shall see this case to the court.
“We want to appeal well as a warning to all those who use hospital services in Ogun state that the Nigerian Medical Association, as well as its affiliates and each doctor,r, will not accept the term we are ‘sorry’ from anybody who assaults any of our members.
“We will go to any length to prosecute such persons and we will not accept the pleading of anybody no matter how highly placed the person is.
“So, we implore anybody who has the mind to perhaps think they can beg us later to please beg the populace. It is not our fault.
….Patients, Relatives Responsible Not Doctors
The medical doctor stressed that patients and their relatives are responsible for the situation and not the health caregivers
He noted that often times, patients’ relatives would rather visit unqualified roadside health attendants and religious centers looking for miracles that do not exist, adding that they visit medical centers when the case is worsened.
“We have had cases where the relatives or patients would have gone round to where they ought not to have gone for medical treatment and only when things have gone bad would they come to the hospital expecting miracles to happen. There is nothing wrong with miracles, we all pray for them.
“But it should not be that nurses and doctors or other health workers are made to suffer the wrong decisions made by people in their help-seeking behavior.
“We have said severally across the media that people should seek proper health care where it ought to be sought instead of going to prayer houses, roadside medicine vendors, and all whatnot.
“But what we found at the end of the day after parading all those places, things went so bad they came to the hospital expecting what they cannot find.”
… Don’t Compound Our Woes, Health Sector Is Bad Enough
Ashimi charged Nigerians to not add to the current situation of the Nigerian Health sector with the continuous assaults against medical personnel.
He noted that the health workers are bearing the alarming rate of brain drain across the country due to unconducive working conditions along with other personal issues.
“We are also battling with lots of issues in the health sector. As doctors, you would all be aware that a lot of our colleagues are leaving the shells of this country daily because they are not getting the satisfaction they desire from their job.
“A lot are leaving because of the issue of lack of facilities to work with. Some, because the pay is not good. The work environment is hostile.
“There are people who left because they were assaulted while doing their jobs. So, we can not continue to have this. The few of us that remain, for nowaraareeeis as much as possible trying very much to be patriotic and we will not take anything for granted in this situation. Nobody should take our fertility for granted.
“We are trying to do our jobs under extreme conditions and we will not accept anybody assaulting any of our members. We will follow this to the letter.
“And so we are appealing as well as a warning that this we will not take again and that anybody who tries again, we will go with our full might and our members to see that we get justice.
“Fellow Nigerians and citizens of Ogun state, we are saying this clearly to all of you. The situation in the health sector is bad enough. We are struggling hard to remain here.
“Please make sure you do things normally. Your health-seeking behavior should be that you go to the hospital. Let diagnosis be made early. Make sure that you get the appropriate care.
“There are enough specialists around. All specialties in Ogun state would be able to attend to issues and when you get to a hospital and they found that whatever you have is beyond them, they will refer you appropriately as they have always been doing.
“But you go about doing things the way you want and things go out of hand, you cannot blame us for this.
“And for whatever it’s worth, who told you that doctors do not have their issues? Many of us carry our ailments about. We are human beings. There are doctors with hypertension, diabetes, heart issues, and kidney problems all over the place just like any other person.
“We don’t go about blaming anybody for our issues. We have lost our lost ones too to ailment sometimes because we are helpless in what we are doing.
“So, if you feel that you have issues with the care of your loved ones, there are appropriate quarters for you to report. You can do this either to the Nigerian Medical Association or to the head of the institution if it is public.
“You should express your grievances as so not by beating doctors up. And often a lot of these issues have to do with what does not concern the doctors at all.
“But where it is, we are not claiming that all doctors are perfect. We are not claiming that all of us have the right attitude to our work. There may be a few here and there and sometimes some of these attitudes are explainable. I am not given any excuse.
“You can imagine a doctor who resumes work at 8 am in a day and closes at 4 pm then starts the call duty at 4 pm which will end at 8 pm and has to resume work the next morning at 8 am.
“There are institutions where you have few doctors that sometimes don’t go home for three to four days. Our colleagues have died in the line of duty. Some finish surgeries and then they collapse when surgeries.”
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