The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) FCT chapter has demanded a public apology from the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) over the alleged bullying of a doctor.

Charles Ugwuanyi, chairman of NMA in the FCT, made the demand during a news conference on Thursday to express NMA’s displeasure over an allegation against Sunday Atinko of the National Hospital Abuja (NHA), a member of the association.

The chairman stated that Mr Atinko was alleged to have been involved in a physical altercation with a nurse, Marvis Ebalu, at the hospital on June 13, 2022, while both were on duty.

“The nurse alleged that the doctor was drunk while on duty and physically abused her to justify her refusal and insubordination towards executing the patient management instructions prescribed by the doctors during ward rounds,” stated Mr Ugwuanyi. “The scene created by this nurse during this unfortunate incident attracted the immediate attention of the medical communities across the globe.”

The chairman said following the perceived bullying of the nurse by the doctor, the NANNM FCT chapter mobilised its members without recourse to any fair hearing from both parties. He said because of this incident, the NANNM launched a very damaging street protest against the doctor, calling for his head and was subjected to cyberbullying of unprecedented dimensions from nurses across the globe.

In the heat of all this, the chairman said the NMA appealed for calm among the medical community stressing that the hospital has an administrative mechanism to investigate the incident.

“We are aware that the NHA management first called for calm and quickly set up an investigative panel to this effect in that same June. We are also aware that following the submission of their report, the matter was referred to the Appointment and Promotion and Disciplinary Committee for ratification and dispensation of their findings and recommendations,” the NMA leader stated.

He added, “It is instructive to note that this committee published her report in December 2022 and completely absolved Dr Atinko Sunday of all allegations levelled against him by the nurse. There was never physical abuse by this doctor, but there was a clear case of insubordination by the nurse.”

(NAN)