The activities at the Federal Medical Center Keffi have come to a halt following a peaceful protest led by the Association of Resident Doctors in response to an assault on one of their members Tuesday night.
The members of the Association of Resident Doctors at the Federal Medical Center, Keffi chapter were met with a distressing incident on Wednesday morning when one of their members and a hospital attendant were assaulted by four patients’ relatives the previous night.
In a show of solidarity, the doctors vacated their duty posts and engaged in a peaceful protest within the hospital premises chanting solidarity songs and carried placards with messages such as “Females can be doctors too and we deserve optimum respect” and “No water, no light, yet we are being attacked.”
Addressing the incident, the President of the Association of Resident Doctors at FMC Keffi, Dr. Dabot Theophilus Thomas, said the assault stemmed from a transfer of aggression following the death of a patient’s father.
Reacting to the plight of the Doctors, the Chief Medical Director Dr. Yahaya Baba Adams, strongly condemned the assault and assured that measures were being taken to address the issue saying one suspect has already been arrested and is currently under investigation at the Keffi Police A Division.
In a show of support, the House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Health, Dr. Amos Gwamna Magaji, and members of the committee, who were present at the hospital overnight, reassured the resident doctors of their support.
They informed them of an impending bill before the house aimed at curbing assaults on medical personnel, emphasizing the importance of dignity and respect for both doctors and patients.
NBS news gathered that incidents of assault on medical personnel by patients’ relatives have been on the rise, prompting the doctors to heed the directive from the National Secretariat to refrain from their duties until the issue is adequately addressed.
