Let Doctors Breath: Nigerian Doctors Protest Attack on Female Doctors

Cursory: UCH Doctors registered as Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), at the hospital, staged a peaceful protest

Most times, Doctors tends digest some behavioral misconception by their patients. But this time, the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) health care services at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, couldn’t take it any longer but had to spill it out.

They said a female doctor was assaulted at the department of radiology of the hospital on August 29, 2023 while she was at her duty post performing her clinical duties.

The assaulted claimed she was severally slapped by a patient’s relative due to clinical power failure which resulted to inability to perform the CT scan as required.

The protesters were chanting messages like:

“Don’t attack, nurses, doctors or other health workers, we are only working to save lives and we say no to assault or violence on any health worker in UCH.

“Doctors are not punching bags, stop beating those who take care of you, let UCH doctors breathe, we save lives; do not take our lives, and do not kill us at our place of work.”

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President of ARD, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Dr Abiodun Ogundipe, speaking on the doctors’ protest, said:

“We are emphasizing and saying No to any assault on our colleagues and other healthcare workers in UCH, Ibadan. More than 5 doctors were attacked within two years within the hospital premises and we don’t want to condone this again.”

“It is not until they kill us before we will speak. That is why we have raised our voices against this action.”

The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, CMD, Professor Jesse Otegbayo, in a reaction, said the assailant has been handed to the police for the unacceptable behavior which is regarded as being inhumane.

Professor Otegbayo however said that the hospital had written a letter of compassion to apologize to the affected doctor, and the assailant on bail with 3 sureties and N100,000 from Yemetu police station in Ibadan is to be charged to the court to face the wrath of the law.