Doctors at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, have cried out over recurrent attacks from mentally challenged patients at the hospital.The President, Association of Resident Doctors of the hospital, Dr. Jeje Oyetayo, said that doctors had to embark on an indefinite strike after the last attack on two female doctors at the outpatient unit of the hospital in June.
She said, “Patients have attacked doctors severally at the hospital and we don’t have trained security personnel to address this. But the last one was on the 5th of June, two female doctors were attacked such that consultants had to come and save them.The patient took an iron rod and started running around with it and there were no security officials. Patients get violent occasionally but the norm is that there should be trained personnel that can disarm them. I mean they should hold their hands and subdue them. But if there are no trained security personnel, the patient and the doctor can be injured in the process of trying to douse the violent situation and it may escalate.”
Oyetayo called on the Federal Government and authorities at the hospital to quickly review the security logistics with a view of protecting the lives of health workers while delivering their duties at the hospital.