The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), FCT Chapter, has cautioned against attack on medical personnel with advice on patients and their relations to channel their complaints to appropriate departments.

The NMA chairman, Dr Charles Ugwuanyi, gave the advice on Thursday in Abuja at the inauguration of committee members of the association on Continuous Medical Education (CME).

He decried as unacceptable, numerous attacks facing medical workers in the FCT in recent times over alleged negligence of duty.

According to him, instead of resorting to assault on the personnel, it is better to channel complaints to appropriate departments in such hospitals, or any other health authorities.

“On the allegation that some healthcare providers are not good managers which account for reasons of assault on them, there are mechanisms to address this kind of cases.

“Let me start by reminding all of us that violence against healthcare workers is not peculiar to Nigeria, it is a global phenomenon, but the constant issue there is that people are taking laws into their own hands.

“This is not acceptable anywhere in the whole world. There are mechanisms that have been put in place to address such cases of perceived negligence on duty if there is.

“I am also aware that hospitals are constituted with units, departments and then you have directorates and top management boards where these issues can be reported to.

“Beyond the hospitals, you also have Nigeria Medical and Dental Council (NMDC) that is properly equipped to address such cases.

“We are all aware that at the unit level, there are discontinuous audits of apathy where the stage is set for continuous mentoring, correcting our mistakes, teaching and learning and beyond the unit level where issues can be sorted out and many more,” he stressed.

He further said that subjecting a doctor or any healthcare providers to abuse both physically, verbally and emotionally should not be encouraged in the country.

According to him, such abuse on healthcare workers is one of the reasons the country is experiencing brain drain of doctors, where mass exodus of health workers have left the country.

Mr Ugwuanyi expressed concern that medical workers now work under fear as a result of lawlessness on the part of some people, adding that such could result in death of any of the parties involved.

The chairman also advises the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to take caution on its plan to break the Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement with Garki District Hospital, Abuja.

He said the hospital is offering a lot of services which Nigerians are currently enjoying under the PPP agreement.

“If the government goes ahead to run the place by itself, that means it would have to factor in many things in terms of provision of facilities and funds to sustain the same standard of care already existing there.

“This is the only hospital that does not have inter-rivalry services, this is the only hospital that you will never hear it goes on strike, it continues to provide services when other hospitals are on strike.

“The services being provided at the Garki Hospital should not be sacrificed for anything on the altar of mere agreement,” he said. 

(NAN)