Resident doctors issue ultimatum to FG over attacks on health workers

By Ayorinde Oluokun

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has warned that it may no longer guarantee industrial peace if the Federal Government failed to take action on what it described as alarming and continuous rise in cases of violence, intimidation, harassment, and brutal assaults against doctors and other healthcare workers across Nigeria.

The leadership of the NARD said this in a statement by its chairman, Dr. Mohammad Usman Suleiman on Monday.

The statement was issued in obvious response to recent alleged assault on health workers at University of Uyo Teaching Hospital by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Suleiman, in the statement noted that such attacks on health workers have been recorded in 17 hospitals across the country in the past one year.

He listed the hospitals where attacks on healthcare workers have been recorded in the following in the past one year to include UCH Ibadan, FMC Owo, OOUTH Sagamu, COOUTH Awka, DELSUTH Oghara, Delta State HMB (GH Warri), AEFUTHA Abakaliki, FMC Jabi, KWASUTH Ilorin and UDUTH Sokoto.

The others are UUTH Uyo, UNTH Enugu, NOH Enugu, AEFUTH Abakaliki, FMC Jalingo, National Hospital Abuja and ATBUTH Bauchi.

“These are not just statistics. These are human beings. These are doctors, nurses, and health workers who dedicate their lives every day to saving Nigerians, yet they are being beaten, humiliated, threatened, traumatized, and treated like criminals in the very hospitals where they sacrifice sleepless nights to preserve lives,” Suleiman said.

NARD also lamented that while over 90% of the victims who are its members received nothing more than mere apology letters after the attacks despite suffering severe physical injuries, emotional trauma, destruction of personal belongings, and psychological scars that may never heal.

It also noted that while some assailants were reportedly arrested and a few arraigned before courts, none has been decisively prosecuted or punished to serve as a deterrent to others.

“This failure of justice has emboldened hoodlums and even armed personnel to invade hospitals and unleash terror on innocent healthcare workers,” NARD said while lamenting that hospitals that are supposed to be sanctuaries of healing are being gradually turned into battlefields and bloodshed zones.

The NARD leadership described the involvement of armed personnel in the attacks as recently witnessed in Uyo, Sokoto, COOUTH, and other centres as unacceptable, shameful, and a complete indictment on the nation’s security and justice systems.

It said situation cannot be allowed to continue, else it may degenerate into killing of health workers.

“Nigerian doctors can no longer continue to work under fear, intimidation, violence, and threats to life. We can no longer tolerate a system where healthcare workers are treated as punching bags by patients’ relatives, miscreants, and even security operatives who are supposed to protect lives and property.

“What started as verbal abuse has now degenerated into brutal physical assaults, destruction of valuables, invasion of call rooms, intimidation with weapons, and coordinated attacks on health workers on duty.

“Most worrisome is the repeated involvement of armed personnel in these assaults — as recently witnessed in Uyo, Sokoto, COOUTH, and other centres. This is unacceptable, shameful, and a complete indictment on the nation’s security and justice systems.

“If urgent and decisive action is not taken, we fear that the next phase may be the gruesome killing of healthcare workers inside hospitals.

“Nigeria is already battling an alarming brain drain, severe manpower shortage, burnout, insecurity, poor remuneration, and a collapsing healthcare system. Continuous assaults on doctors and health workers will only worsen the exodus of skilled manpower and further cripple healthcare delivery in the country.

NARD therefore called on the Federal and state governments, security agencies, the National Assembly, the Judiciary, hospital managements, human rights organizations, civil society groups and all well-meaning Nigerians to treat the issue as a national emergency.

The association demanded immediate prosecution and public punishment of all perpetrators of assaults against healthcare workers, implementation of strict hospital protection policies across all health institutions, compensation for victims of assaults and destruction of personal property, deployment of adequate security architecture in hospitals nationwide and immediate Presidential Executive Order mandating strict prosecution of anyone who assaults healthcare workers or invades healthcare facilities.

NARD warned that it many no longer guarantee industrial peace in the sector if the Federal Government failed to curb the menace of attack on health workers and bring the culprits to book by the end of May 2026.

We are by this statement putting the Federal Government and all relevant authorities on notice. The lives of Nigerian doctors and healthcare workers matter. An injury to one healthcare worker is an injury to the entire healthcare system. The time to act is NOW. Enough is Enough!