The Management of LAUTECH Teaching Hosptal and Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), Ogbomoso chpater have condemned the persistent assaults on its members, by some members of the host community.
The management in a statement signed by teaching hospital PRO Omotayo Ogunleye the management frowned at a disturbing event which took place at the Accident and Emergency Unit of the hospital on Sunday, Spetember 25th.
” A doctor of the hospital( names witheld) was beaten black and blue by the security aides of one Mr Femi Onireti, an upcoming politician in Oyo State.
” The Management of the hospital, who decried the development said it was uncharitable for anyone to threaten or bully medical personnel in the line of duty.
The management which noted with dismay the unfriendly and thuggery attitude of Mr Onireti, added that such attitude was capable of putting the lives of medical staff in jeopardy.
The Management, while warning and imploring the politician and other members of the community to desist from interfering in the protocol involving patient management, maintained that Mr Onireti must apologize to the hospital and the victim of their assault in the hospital.
While condemning the politician’s manner of interfering with the management of the patient which was brought to the hospital for medical attention, the Management noted that such act would not be tolerated.
According to the Management, “the politician was commanding the doctors to place his patient on oxygen and also instructed that he should be taken to Intensive Care Unit”, noting that the doctors never gave such instruction.
“The politician, with the help of his assilants descended on a medical doctor, a staff of the hospital, thinking the doctor was filming their devilish displays at the A&E section of the hospital”, the management stated.
Owing to the assault by Mr Onireti and his aides, the doctors at the hospital have embarked on indefinite strike until an apology is tendered to the hospital and phones seized from the victim by the politician and his aides are returned.
The matter has been reported to the concerned police station by the victim for necessary action.
Similarly, MDCAN in a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Dr. Michael Olamoyegun and Secretary, Dr. Ayobami Alabi, and made available to newsmen on Tuesday, said members of the association were withdrawing their services over an attack on a doctor by a politician, on Sunday.
“We have immediately withdrawn our services, until the perpetrators are brought to book and when we can be guaranteed of safety and protection of life.
The group said that their lives were no longer safe while on duty, calling for the intervention of Gov. Seyi Makinde, and other stakeholders in the state.
Olufemi Onireti, a chieftain of the peoples party PDP in his reaction said it is a rude shock to us to be confronted with the allegation that Femi Onireti beat up a doctor or that a doctor was beaten up on his order
His media adviser Edris Olawoyin in a statement said Onireti is too humane and urbane to engage in such infamy. This is someone that often takes humanitarian programmes to hospitals to relieve patients of financial burdens.
The statement reads further “When we should be considering litigation for negligence of duty on the part of the hospital leading to the demise of a PDP ward chairman, we are being harassed with allegation of assault. We are being told the whole hospital has downtooled because “Femi Onireti supervised the beating of a doctor,” thereby predisposing other patients to danger. Doesn’t that sound ludicrous? It sounds like blackmail with input from fifth columnists. We hold that the health of patients should be held more paramount than any (alleged) shortcoming of Onireti. He was at the verge of losing a dear party leader, emotion was high at the time and everybody was in panic mode. He can’t be held responsible for such offense.
He holds the medical profession and its practitioners in a very high esteem. He couldn’t have wilfully engaged in what he was accused of.
However, for the sake of the patients in the reputable hospital, whose lives are dear to him, to them, to their people and in fact to the nation, we appeal to the striking workers to reconsider and go back to work. We will make a reconciliatory visit to the hospital.
