Doctors threaten strike over assault on colleague in Ogun
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has raised the alarm over what it described as a growing threat to the safety of healthcare workers, warning that failure to address systemic lapses exposed by the recent assault on a female doctor in Ogun State could trigger a broader industrial crisis.
In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its President, Dr Mohammad Usman Suleiman, the association said the incident at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, goes beyond a singular act of violence and reflects deeper institutional and security failures within Nigeria’s health sector.
NARD expressed “strongest outrage and unequivocal condemnation” of the attack, describing it as “shocking and barbaric,” and a “gross violation of human dignity, professional sanctity, and the safety of healthcare workers.”
The association noted that the victim, a female House Officer, was “an innocent, dedicated young doctor” who was “singled out and brutally attacked” after being identified as part of the team that attended to a patient who later died at the Accident and Emergency unit.
“This horrifying incident, reportedly carried out by a group of about seven men alleged to be students of Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapade, represents a gross violation,” NARD said.
Rather than focusing solely on the assault, the association stressed the broader implications for the healthcare system, warning that hospitals are increasingly becoming unsafe for medical professionals.
