Nurses at the State Hospital, Ijaye, Abeokuta, staged a protest on Thursday in response to the alleged assault of a student nurse by a consultant orthopedic surgeon at the facility.
The protest was led by Adejoke Bello, Chairman of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) in Ogun State. According to reports from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the incident occurred on September 24, when the doctor reportedly slapped the student nurse in the theatre suite.
The protesting nurses expressed frustration over the lack of action from the state government since the incident occurred. They chanted various slogans and carried placards condemning the alleged assault, with messages such as “End bullying of nurses,” “Zero tolerance for nurses bullying,” and “Justice for nurses, a must.”
Bello emphasized that the peaceful protest aimed to voice their dissatisfaction with what she described as unethical behavior by the doctor. “The assault is against public service rules and should never have happened,” she stated. “It is gross misconduct to slap a subordinate at work. The entire nursing community in Ogun State will not tolerate this.”
Bello mentioned that they had previously reached out to the appropriate authorities since the following Monday, giving them 48 hours to address the situation, but had received no response. “We had no choice but to mobilize for this peaceful protest,” she added.
She demanded that the medical practitioner be held accountable in line with public service regulations. “We are saying no to harassment and assault of nurses. We have instructed our nurses to return to work but have given the hospital management four hours to respond to our demands in writing,” she said.
Lola Idowu-Falujo, Unit Chairman of NANNM at the hospital, echoed Bello’s sentiments, condemning the alleged harassment as unacceptable under public service rules. “We are committed to providing care for our patients and advancing the state and the country, and we do not deserve any form of maltreatment,” she asserted.
Idowu-Falujo also pointed out that they had reached out to the hospital management and state government since last Friday, but received no response. “Had they acted sooner, this protest might not have been necessary,” she remarked.
The Permanent Secretary of the Hospitals Management Board, Dr. Olayinka Elemide, addressed the protesting nurses, assuring them that the government was aware of the situation and taking steps to resolve it. “We are ensuring that due process is followed. Both the doctor and the student nurse are under the care of the government, and we are on top of the situation,” she stated.
Leave a Reply