By Desire Emmanuel
The relatives of a patient took laws into their hands and beat up a medical doctor at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State, after a surgery went awry, resulting in the death of the patient.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, February 5, when the relatives, on hearing about the death of the relative apparently as a result of complications after the surgery, descended on the medical officer, Dr Adekunle Adeniyi, a Registrar at the Department of Internal Medicine at the hospital, beating him blue black.
Angered by the development, medical doctors, under the aegis of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), condemned the act, saying attacks on doctors inside hospitals are becoming too frequent.
In a statement condemning the act, the doctors called for urgent deployment of security personnel to hospitals, while also demanding for the complete coverage of the medical expenses of the doctor currently on admission in the hospital.
The NARD wrote: “From the reports available to us, Dr Adeniyi was physically attacked in the line of duty by a group of individuals said to be relatives of a surgical patient.
“This act of violence, carried out while our colleague is discharging his Hippocratic duties, is reprehensible, barbaric and a direct assault on the medical profession and Nigerian healthcare system.
“It is even more disturbing that this occurred within a hospital environment, a place meant to preserve life, safety and dignity.
“NARD notes with grave concern the recurring pattern of violence against healthcare workers across the country and the gross inadequacy of security measures in many health facilities. The increasing tendency for members of the public to resort to physical aggression against doctors and other health workers is dangerous, unlawful and must be decisively addressed.”
The doctors therefore demanded for the prompt apprehension as well as prosecution of the perpetrators involved in the criminal act in order to serve as a deterrent to others.
