Obinna Onodugo, the Chief Medical Director of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, has urged patients’ relatives to stop harassing and being violent with doctors.

He decried increasing violence visited on doctors by anguished relatives of patients and asked for an end to the misnomer.

Speaking on the sideline of the general and scientific meeting of the Nigerian chapter of the West African College of Physicians, Mr Onodugo, however, said medical practitioners understand the pains of losing loved ones and the current economic challenges in the country.

“They should, however, not vent their frustrations on innocent doctors who are doing their best to attend to patients.

“Inflicting wounds on doctors or chasing them around with dangerous objects do not reverse developments.

“Our doctors must be protected and treated with some level of dignity,” Mr Onodugo said.

He lamented the high cost of running health facilities exacerbated by the high price of diesel to power electricity generating sets.

“Truly, the daily energy cost is becoming terrible,” he said. “It is time governments invested in renewable energy to cut the cost of energy, which is imperative in running health facilities.” 

Mr Onodugo also said senior doctors and consultants, members of the college, would deliberate on increasing the brain drain in the medical profession.

“We will brainstorm on how best to check our well-trained doctors leaving the shores of this country.

“We want governments at all levels to support doctors and other health professionals with state-of-the-art working tools and make medical equipment available,” he said.

(NAN)