The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has ordered its members to immediately withdraw their services at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu, following an alleged brutal assault on a female House Officer.

It, however, demanded justice and stronger protection for healthcare workers.

In a statement on its X handle, the association expressed outrage and condemnation of the incident, which it said, involved a group of about seven men alleged to be students of Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapade.

NARD said the attack was a gross violation of human dignity, professional sanctity, and the safety of healthcare workers.

The association said that the victim, described as a young doctor, was singled out and attacked after the loss of a patient at the Accident and Emergency unit, having been identified as part of the medical team that attended to the case. It described the incident as unacceptable and intolerable.

NARD stated that hospitals should remain places of healing rather than scenes of violence, noting that it was disturbing that doctors working under challenging conditions, including delayed remuneration and heavy workloads, were now exposed to physical harm while performing their duties.

It warned that such acts undermine the foundation of the healthcare system and require firm, decisive action.

The association, therefore, directed all its members at OOUTH, Sagamu, including House Officers, to withdraw services immediately until adequate safety assurances are provided.

It also called for the urgent identification, arrest, and prosecution of all individuals involved in the assault, stressing that justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done.

NARD urged the management of Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapade, to collaborate with security agencies to ensure the perpetrators are apprehended and sanctioned.

It further called on the institution to take responsibility for the actions of its students, including covering the full cost of medical care and providing compensation to the assaulted doctor.

The association also called on the management of OOUTH to urgently strengthen security within the hospital premises, urging the introduction of proactive measures to prevent a recurrence, alongside addressing welfare concerns affecting its members to ensure a safe and conducive working environment.

IN a related development, Ogun State Nursing and Midwifery Committee has dissociated itself from one Kehinde Adesanya, a nurse allegedly responsible for the death of a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member in Abeokuta, the state capital.

This was contained in a statement yesterday and signed by the Chairman of the Committee, Dr Serifat Aminu, on behalf of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), led by its Registrar, Dr Ndagi Al-Hassan.

Aminu said that the committee, after reviewing available records and conducting necessary checks, confirmed that the nurse in question was not licensed or registered by the NMCN to practise nursing in the state or anywhere in the country.

She noted that calling the person responsible for the termination of the corps member’s pregnancy a nurse was a total misrepresentation, which basically taints the nursing profession built on rigorous training, certification, and ethics.

Aminu stressed that the incident revealed that unqualified people are posing as healthcare practitioners, putting people’s health at risk, and insisted that the committee would do everything possible to curb the menace.

The chairman, however, tasked people to report any case of quackery to relevant authorities, hinting that the committee would continue to work with government agencies to fish out quacks and bring them to justice.