…Three of our members beaten mercilessly- Union chairman

By Dayo Johnson

Nurses at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo state have withdrawn their services over the assault on three of their colleagues by relatives of a patient who died in the hospital.

Those beaten up according to findings are presently on admission at the hospital.

The nurses in the hospital staged a protest around the hospital premises over the beating of their colleagues while on duty by relations of a COVID-19 patient rushed to the hospital last weekend.

Vanguard gathered that the patient died at the hospital’s emergency ward.

The protesting nurses led by their union executives said they won’t return to work until adequate security is provided for them.

They lamented the weekend incident whereby relatives of a ‘dead’ patient beat their colleagues were rather unfortunate.

Speaking with newsmen, the chairman of the Nurses, Francis Ajibola said “We are just trying to condemn the barbaric attitude of some patients relatives to our members.

“A patient was brought to the hospital two days ago and critically ill and suspected of COVID 19 with severe respiratory distress.

” The patient was brought too late but the Nurses and Doctors tried all they could do to place the patient on oxygen but at around 4 am on Sunday, the patient gave up because the situation was worst and had affected the respiratory system

” You know how COVID 19 works especially with patients with underlying ailment, so the patient died and the children of the patient said that the patient should not die.

“We felt for them too, we care for life but we cannot give life, we only care but they refused to understand that.

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” They took to violence, brutalising nurses, dragging nurses on the ground, pull off their hair, fractured their bones, marching on them.

” This is very embarrassing and nobody will ever support that kind of barbaric attitude.

“That’s why we are just making the solemn demand, we are not fighting the management but to appeal to them to provide adequate security for our members so that people can come back to work.

“We are not on strike we just withdraw the services of our members until security is provided and that the persons that perpetrated the act should be brought to book and prosecuted in order to serve as deterrent to others. That’s just our simple demand.

“Some of the injured nurses are on admission and in pains now, with injury all over their bodies.

“So we want the management to provide security for us and punish the offenders. That’s just the simple things we are demanding

Contacted, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Liasu Ahmed confirmed this ugly development but added that the hospital has not been shut down contrary to the news making the rounds.

Dr Ahmed said an investigation has been launched into the attack on the nurses.

“It is true that some of our nurses were attacked by the relatives of some patients. We are currently investigating the matter.

“Contrary to fake news spreading around, we have not shutdown out hospital. We will ensure that our staff are well protected”.

He added that the police responded early to douse the tension.

Vanguard News Nigeria