NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIAN NURSES, MIDWIVES EXPRESS DISPLEASURE AS OAUTH DOCTORS EMBARK ON TWO-DAY STRIKE

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The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex Unit has expressed displeasure with the unwarranted strike action which was initiated by the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) in connection with a disagreement between a senior nurse and two resident doctors.

The disagreement between the senior nurse and resident doctors was after a procedure on a patient degenerated to national issue as Association of Residents Doctors, OAUTH branch takes to the media to threaten a strike action.

This was mentioned in a statement obtained by Hotjist.com on Tuesday.

The association stated that the nurse’s actions are in line with the WHO norm for hospital waste management and the Basel Convention on the control of trans-boundary transport of hazardous wastes and their disposal (UNEP 1992), both of which the doctors disobeyed by leaving the sharps exposed.

“It is disappointing, however, that the ARD, did not exhaust all administrative options to resolve the situation before going to the media to threaten a warning strike, oblivious to the health effects of their actions on innocent people.”

It added that one Doctor Ikokoh Martias physically assaulted a senior nurse officer. The management intervened and the problem was addressed through internal mechanisms. “His letter of apology is still in the possession of the association.”

“NANNM feels that there is more to this story than meets the eye, and requests that the competent authority conduct a comprehensive inquiry into politically driven grievances as well as those who are determined to destabilize the institution’s peaceful coexistence.”

However, the Association of Resident Doctors at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital in Ile-Ife went on strike for two days on Tuesday in protest of a nurse’s alleged attack on one of them.

The warning strike would begin at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, and end at 7:59 a.m. on Thursday, June 23, 2022, according to the resident doctors.

The doctors announced their decision in a press release signed by the association’s president, Dr. Nana Fayowole; general secretary, Dr. Anuforo Anthony; and public relations officer, Dr. Adelaja Olasubomi.

According to them, a senior nurse in the hospital’s Female Adult Orthopaedic Ward kept a female doctor, Dr. Oluwatosin Bello, captive, imprisoned, and verbally attacked her while performing her duties on June 16.

“The female house officer had gone to the state ward with her team, which included doctors from various cadres, to perform an operation on the ward’s only patient at the time.”

When the team arrived at 4:30 p.m., they alerted the on-duty nurse.

“They sought a trolley from the nurse after gaining the patient’s consent, who pointed the trolley at them and told them to grab it.”

“In order not to waste time because the team already got a call from children emergency to see a patient, the house officer willingly brought the trolley.

“After the procedure, the team discarded all sharps used. They wrapped the empty kit with the drape used and kept it on the lowest shelf of the trolley and wiped the topmost part of the trolley clean and moved the trolley away from the patient’s bedside.

“They were leaving the ward when the house officer was accosted that she should go and discard the waste. The house officer was the last to leave so the nurse went to block her way asking her to go and discard the waste and when she didn’t answer, the matron locked the gate with the padlock.

“As if that was not enough, she started shouting and rained a lot of insults on her to the extent that nurses from other wards came to plead with her to stop and open the gate but she declined.

“Despite several pleas, the nurse vowed never to let the doctor out no matter who comes from Abuja. We have the video evidence of this incident. It took the effort of many people to persuade the nurse to release the doctor.”

The association’s leadership stated an emergency general meeting was held on June 17 and the decision was made to go on a 48-hour warning strike.