In a bizarre act of aggression, members of the
Joint Health Staff Union (JOHESU) were
at the weekend alleged to have stormed the
premises of Gwarinpa General Hospital, Abuja,
to unleash terror on any visible personnel,
especially doctors on duty. They were also said
to have vandalised property.
The President of the Association of Resident
Doctors, Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
chapter, Dr. Isaac Akerele, who narrated the
incident, said it was an act of “sheer luck for
many doctors who were on duty to have escaped
the onslaught”.
Members of the JOHESU comprising nurses,
pharmacists, laboratory scientists, physiotherapists
and non-health workers had since November,
2014, been on strike in protest against government
refusal to meet their demands.
Akerele, however, expressed sadness that a very
senior doctor was unlucky and she was terribly
manhandled.
He said the attackers broke down all the
entrance to the main block including the
laboratory and later shot canister of tear gas that
triggered severe respiratory distress that
necessitated intensive care resuscitation.
Although the reason for JOHESU action was
not stated, he noted, it was apparent that they
were angered by the fact that Doctors had been
successfully attending to patients even with
JOHESU on strike.
Akerele described the action of the health
workers as a barbaric, totally condemnable,
unacceptable and a fatal error.
He said his association was reliably informed
that the group was led by one Shuaib Onucheyo,
a Laboratory Technician with Nyanya General
Hospital, who was believed to belong to the
militant wing of JOHESU, carrying out this
attack on hospitals and doctors.
He said: “This group came to the Gwarimpa
General Hospital with all manners of weapons,
including firearms that was used to shoot tear
gas canisters into the hospital.
“This attack left many, including patients injured,
with some in critical conditions at the intensive
care unit especially a very senior colleague who
was attending to preterm babies at the time of
this attack.
“We are calling on all authorities especially the
Inspector General of Police (IG) to urgently
investigate the sources of the weapons used. We
equally call on the FCT Administration
(FCTA) to investigate and apply public service
rules to protect our members on call.”
“To this effect, a letter has been sent to the
FCT authorities. In this regard, I have
directed our lawyers to institute a legal action
against these persons and the body they represent
for damages.
“ As law abiding professionals, we do not want
to take laws into or hands but we are sending
strong warnings to any groups or persons or
associations to stop harassing our members. To
be forewarned is to be forearmed,” he cautioned.
In a related development, Akerele expressed the
association’s appeal to politicians to invest in the
health sector, as they campaign for next month’s
general election.
He said the provision of excellent health
infrastructure and better investment should be a
priority to the politicians.
Meanwhile, the leadership of JOHESU in the
country has been urged to end the nation-wide
strike entering three months now for the sake of
the suffering masses.
The Chief Medical Director (CMD),
University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH)
, Prof. Etete Peters, at a chat with journalists
in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, weekend said it was
unprofessional for the health workers to be on
such a prolong strike.
The federal government, he said, was not
adamant over the position of the health workers
as government had engaged the labour leaders in
series of constructive negotiations towards
resolving the lingering contentious issues.
Prof. Peters noted that the federal government
has agreed to address the grey and contentious
grievances of the workers, especially those
bordering on payment of arrears of allowances,
clinical governance and professionalism.
“We strongly feel that it is quite important to
take another look at the scenario in view of the
suffering and hardship the strike is causing the
masses,” he stressed.
According to him, government has agreed to
settle the main outstanding issues bordering on
the payment of arrears of their allowances
following Court judgment obtained about two
years ago.
The money for the payment of that allowance, he
said, had been captured in the 2015 appropriation
now pending before the National Assembly for
passage into law.
Equally, he said a high-powered committee set
up by President Goodluck Jonathan on inter-
professional relationship in the public health
sector has submitted its report.
“The report of the committee has been submitted
to Mr. President and the white-paper
committee set up, we expect that the white paper
should come up in the next few days.
“The report of that committee has summarily
dealt with all the issues of various conflicts in
term of professional practice within the health
sector.
“It is expected that when the white paper is
issued, each professional will know their role or
level of work within the system,” he said

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/health-workers-attack-doctors-on-duty-in-abuja/200171/

This is bad. At least, they should have considered the patients. Did they think they too cannot fall sick? What if some of their members were among the patients? What a wrong way of showing their bitterness.

jacabi:
This is bad. At least, they should have considered the patients. Did they think they too cannot fall sick? What if some of their members were among the patients? What a wrong way of showing their bitterness.

This is really shameful and disgusting. Why should the health workers harass doctors doing their work and sick patients receiving treatment? Are these meant to be our supposedly enlightened pharmacists, nurses and all?

Evvilgenius:


This is really shameful and disgusting. Why should the health workers harass doctors doing their work and sick patients receiving treatment? Are these meant to be our supposedly enlightened pharmacists, nurses and all?

It shows that they cherish money more than people's lives.

Evvilgenius:


This is really shameful and disgusting. Why should the health workers harass doctors doing their work and sick patients receiving treatment? Are these meant to be our supposedly enlightened pharmacists, nurses and all?

Nurses are not among JEHOSU though National association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) are also on strike.