BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
The management of the Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, has revealed that their staff who had stopped rendering some services in protest of the attacks on them by aggrieved relatives of a dead patient have resumed full duties.
Some hoodlums and relatives of a patient who died after being brought into the Accident & Emergency Section of the hospital last week Thursday alongside others, had assaulted some doctors and nurses on duty and distrupted activities within the medical institution.
The hoodlums were said to have brought guns and other dangerous weapons into the hospital, started shooting and beating doctors, nurses and other workers over the patient’s death.
Following the attack, members of the Association of Resident Doctors, Osun State University Teaching Hospital chapter, had an emergency meeting and declared a three-day warning strike to protest the assault and charge the hospital management to beef up security within and around the hospital.
The association had described the working environment around the hospital as porous and life-threatening, adding that their members had been attacked in the past by hoodlums and aggrieved relatives of patients.
In a statement issued after the meeting and signed by the President of the association, Solomon Ilori and Secretary, Felix Olaomi, a copy of which was made available to journalists in Osogbo, the medical practitioners withdrew all forms of clinical activities in the hospital to protest the development.
The doctors had demanded an immediate provision of armoured tank, trained security officers, security post at both entrances of the hospital among other demands before they could resume duties.
Meanwhile, speaking with our correspondent on the telephone on Monday, the Head of the Corporate Affairs Department of the hospital, Mrs. Christy Oyewole, said nomalcy had returned to the hospital and that the striking doctors had resumed duties.
“The hospital has managed the crisis adequately and arrangements for security and safety of staff, patients and relations has been made. We have also put in measures to prevent future occurrence and so, for now, there is no problem again. Our doctors are back to work, and the hospital is running well.
On the incident, Oyewole said, “there was an attack by hoodlums last week Thursday based on dead patient. I think they had issues and there were gunshots and they brought their casualties to the A&E department of the hospital. So, when they lost one of the casualties, then, they started attacking the staff of the A&E, the doctors, the nurses and the department. We put in our best as a tertiary hospital and all protocols of treatment were observed before the person died. It wasn’t due to negligence. The thugs started shooting and beating out doctors and nurses.
“We arrested the situation immediately and now, we have put in measures as a result of the incident. Our doctors that went on strike as a result of that are back to work and there is no strike action in the hospital again. They have called off the warning strike.
“There was a meeting with the hospital management. The board of management of the hospital, and the Commissioner for Health, the Special Adviser on Health, the Secretary to the State Government, and the issue had been resolved. Some of the hoodlums were arrested and the police had assured us that they will be arraigned.
“The management of Uniosun Teaching Hospital, Osogbo condemned the attack on members of staff of the hospital while on their duty posts, by some hoodlums. The hospital will not tolerate any form of attack or harassment of its staff in the course of discharging their duties.
“We are assuring all our staff of their safety and all those involved in the attack will face the wrath of the Law. The management implores all staff to continue their work without entertaining any fear,” Oyewole added.
