....Unions Declare 72-Hour Warning Strike, Demand Prosecution Of Suspect, Stronger Hospital Security
Toyyibat Qasim & Firdaus Obiremi
Medical Laboratory Scientists and other health workers at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, Ogun State, have embarked on a 72-hour warning strike following the alleged stabbing of a medical laboratory scientist by a patient’s relative within the hospital premises.
The industrial action, which commenced at 11 a.m. on Monday, is expected to end at 8 a.m. on Thursday, October 15, according to a position letter and strike notice issued by the hospital’s Joint Action Committee.
The committee, in the letter dated October 12 and addressed to the Medical Director of the hospital, identified the injured worker as Mr Lawal Toheeb Olasunkanmi, a medical laboratory scientist.
The unions said the strike was declared in solidarity with their injured colleague and to compel the hospital management to address concerns over the safety of healthcare workers and strengthen security arrangements within the facility.
Describing the incident as an attack on healthcare personnel, the committee said, “This barbaric act of violence against a healthcare worker carrying out their professional duties is a serious assault on the dignity, safety, and welfare of healthcare professionals who dedicate their lives to providing care.”
A medical laboratory scientist at the hospital, Comrade Oladejo Abdullahi Abiodun, who recounted the circumstances surrounding the incident, said he received a distress call from a colleague at about 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.
According to Abiodun, the caller informed him that a scientist on duty had been stabbed in the head and was bleeding.
He said he immediately rushed to the hospital, where he confirmed that the colleague had sustained stab injuries.
Abiodun added that photographs and video recordings of the incident were available.
Although the circumstances leading to the alleged attack were not immediately clear, the Joint Action Committee maintained that the incident required an urgent institutional response and formal action by law enforcement authorities.
The committee said the attack was not merely an individual grievance but a matter affecting the entire workforce.
The committee further demanded a clearly defined policy against violence, threats, intimidation, harassment and physical assault against hospital staff.
According to the unions, such a policy should establish clear procedures for reporting incidents and provide for collaboration with security agencies and law enforcement authorities.
They also requested an urgent meeting with the hospital management to examine existing security gaps and agree on concrete measures, with clearly defined timelines, to protect personnel.
The committee said the management must demonstrate its commitment through immediate and measurable action.
“Acts of violence against healthcare personnel must not be allowed to become normalised or repeated in our institution,” it stated.
The committee added that the action was also a declaration that healthcare workers would not accept a situation in which they were exposed to preventable violence without adequate protection and an appropriate institutional response.
The notice was issued by a Joint Action Committee comprising representatives of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), the Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research and Allied Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI), the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU)..
As of the time of filing this report, the hospital management’s response to the strike notice and the unions’ demands was not available.
It was also unclear whether the alleged assailant had been arrested or whether the police had commenced an investigation into the incident.
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