The leadership of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Ado-Ekiti, has threatened to embark on an industrial action following the assault of two doctors by students involved in an accident.
Speaking with journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, the President of NARD, EKSUTH Branch, Dr Ayodeji Olatayo, condemned the attack, describing it as “barbaric and uncalled for.”
He gave the state government a 24-hour ultimatum to identify and apprehend the perpetrators or risk a strike action.
Dr Olatayo stressed the need for patients’ relatives and caregivers to respect health workers, warning that such violent behaviour would no longer be tolerated.
Also speaking, the former President of the Association and current Chairman of the EKSUTH Inter-Allied Forum, Dr Adeyemi Famous, called for the enactment of a law that would criminalise attacks on healthcare workers in Ekiti State.
He recalled that similar incidents had occurred in the past, noting that doctors at the hospital had also been assaulted a few weeks earlier.
He urged the Ekiti State House of Assembly to pass legislation that would hold perpetrators accountable.
“Our members were also attacked some weeks ago; there is a need for the Ekiti State House of Assembly to put in place laws to make those found in such acts pay for their actions,” Dr Famous said.
He further called on security agencies to arrest and prosecute the culprits in order to serve as a deterrent to others, adding that the union would not allow its members to be “rubbished” in the course of their professional duties.
The incident occurred on Friday when students involved in a road accident were rushed to the Accident and Emergency Department of the hospital. Dissatisfied with the treatment process, they reportedly assaulted two doctors, leaving them injured.
The association vowed to press ahead with industrial action if the state government fails to take decisive action within the stipulated timeframe.
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