In response to an alleged nurse attack on one of them, the Association of Resident Doctors at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, began a two-day warning strike on Tuesday.
The warning strike, according to the resident doctors, will start at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, and last until 7:59 a.m. on Thursday, June 23, 2022.
The association's president, Dr. Nana Fayowole, general secretary, Dr. Anuforo Anthony, and public relations officer, Dr. Adelaja Olasubomi, all signed a press statement announcing their decision, which our reporter saw.
They claim that on June 16, a senior nurse in the hospital's Female Adult Orthopaedic Ward physically restrained, verbally harassed, and forced a female doctor—Dr. Oluwatosin Bello—while she was performing her duties.
“The female house officer had gone to the said ward with her team which comprised different cadres of doctors, to carry out a procedure on the only patient in the ward at that time.
“The team on arrival at 4:30 pm informed the nurse on duty.
“After obtaining the patient’s consent, they requested a trolley from the nurse who pointed the trolley to them and told them to get it.
“In order not to waste time because the team already got a call from children emergency to see a patient, the house officer willingly brought the trolley.
“After the procedure, the team discarded all sharps used. They wrapped the empty kit with the drape used and kept it on the lowest shelf of the trolley and wiped the topmost part of the trolley clean and moved the trolley away from the patient’s bedside.
“They were leaving the ward when the house officer was accosted that she should go and discard the waste. The house officer was the last to leave so the nurse went to block her way asking her to go and discard the waste and when she didn’t answer, the matron locked the gate with the padlock.
“As if that was not enough, she started shouting and rained a lot of insults on her to the extent that nurses from other wards came to plead with her to stop and open the gate but she declined.
“Despite several pleas, the nurse vowed never to let the doctor out no matter who comes from Abuja. We have the video evidence of this incident. It took the effort of many people to persuade the nurse to release the doctor.”
According to the association's leaders, an emergency general meeting was convened on June 17 at which it was resolved to launch a 48-hour warning strike.
Additionally, they requested that "The hospital management establish a fact-finding committee to investigate the event at FAOW and administer the proper disciplinary actions against anybody found to be at fault, failing which the house would reexamine the matter at the July 2022 OGM.
“The hospital management should come up with a document detailing the job description of all clinical staff within the next four weeks, failure of which the house will re-examine the situation at the July 2022 OGM. We believe this is in line with best global practice.”
