• No professional to fill over 100 vacancies, says CMD
There was uproar at the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital (UNIMEDTH), Akure, yesterday, as a medical doctor identified as Sayo, was attacked by a relative of a patient being treated in the hospital.
The Guardian learnt that the son of the patient assaulted the medical doctor, who works as a medical officer at the accident and emergency unit.
According to eyewitnesses, the relative of the patient attacked the doctor for not properly attending to the aged patient. It took the prompt intervention of Amotekun Corps personnel before Dr. Sayo could be rescued from his attacker.
Reacting to the incident, the President of the Association of Resident Doctors, UNIMEDTH, Dr. John Matthew, condemned the attack and urged the state government to provide adequate security in the hospital.
Consequently, the association has decided to embark on two-day warning strike to demand that the management and Ondo State Government look into their welfare.
Matthew lamented that over 100 doctors had left the hospital and only 48 doctors are left to function.
He urged the state government to boost the welfare of doctors and pay their salaries regularly.
One of the doctors, Ibidapo Bolayemi, said the hospital is understaffed, urging the state government to employ more doctors.
But the Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr. Oluwole Ige, condemned the decision to embark on a two-day warning strike over the attack.
He, alongside the management of the hospital, however, faulted the assault on the doctor.
Ige stressed that the strike action by the staff was unnecessary since the matter has been resolved, wondering why the doctors went on strike when Amotekun operatives who came to salvage the situation had arrested the culprit.
“It is wrong for relatives of a patient to attack any health worker. It is not only barbaric but senseless. The man who assaulted the doctor has been arrested by the Amotekun operatives and will be charged to court any moment from now,” Ige said..
The CMD kicked against the allegation by the association that the hospital is understaffed, saying that the problem was not peculiar to Ondo State. He said Nigeria is currently battling with the mass exodus of health workers, of which Ondo is not an exception.
“At least salary over the last three months has been 100% and regular. We have over 100 vacancies to fill but are not getting professionals to take up.
“There is currently a lot of movement of juniors and young doctors and nurses out of our facilities and out of the country, “ he declared.
