The Nigerian Medical Association (FCT branch) has appealed to the government to provide more security for the safety of doctors.

NMA FCT chair Charles Ugwuanyi made the appeal after thanksgiving to start the ‘2023 Physician Week’, celebrated annually in October.

Mr Ugwuanyi spoke against the recent backlash on doctors over alleged negligence of duty at their workplaces, arising from an alleged death of a ‘one chance’ victim in Abuja recently.

He said the incident had brought several attacks on doctors while calling on relevant government authorities, particularly security organisations, to provide more protection for medical doctors.

Mr Ugwuanyi said the incident had subjected medical doctors in the FCT to various forms of violence ranging from physical to emotional abuse.

“So much is expected from the Nigerian doctors, but very little is given to them. Therefore, we operate in a very hostile environment. It seems like any unfortunate incident in a public institution is always blamed on the doctors,” stated the NMA FCT chair. “As you are aware, recently, there has been some unpleasant news which has gone very viral in one of our hospitals here in the FCT, where a doctor has been alleged to have refused to treat a patient.”

Mr Ugwuanyi added, “Let me use this opportunity to remind people in authority that our duty is to treat people who are alive; we are not trained to wake people up from death; therefore when they apportion blame when things don’t go well, it should be properly aligned.

“On the issue of the police report, I don’t know why they expect a doctor who is attending to a patient to abandon another patient in search of a police report. We view that the people who are bringing in accident victims should take the responsibility of bringing police reports. It is not the duty of a doctor to abandon other patients in search of police reports.

“We have been badly traumatized because of the negative publicity. It is absolutely unfair, especially when people in governance who are supposed to be in the know are expecting us to do otherwise.”

(NAN)