Following protests by members of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba to draw public attention to their unpaid salaries and allowances, as well as the takeover of seven of their lounges including the association’s secretariat by the hospital management, the doctors on Thursday have reportedly resorted to violence.
The doctors who allegedly mobilised their members and other unknown persons were said to have inflicted bodily harm on one of the security agents and a Nigerian Civil Defence Service staff, leaving facial bruises on one, and stabbing the other.
According to a statement, the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, Olufemi Fasanmade said the militant group acted on the directive of Dr Adebayo Sekumade, the president of the LUTH branch of ARD.
Speaking he said, “This group, acting under the directives of Dr Sekumade, one of our trainees, brazenly threatened senior officials of the hospital in the name of the Association of Resident Doctors (LUTH Branch).
“They have been holding clandestine meetings in the ARD office at the Marble Hall of LUTH. The management of LUTH had given the ARD a six-month notice to quit the premises about six and a half months ago.
“They were to relocate to the over six locations (which are being used by at no charge) within the hospital. A reminder and seven-day notice was sent to them over a week ago and the management made effort to repossess the premises used as ARD secretariat two days ago.”
Fasanmade noted that the takeover of the association’s secretariat by the hospital management had led to the fracas.
Reacting to the reason for the repossession of the secretariat and other lounges willed to the doctors, LUTH’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris ‘Bode told Nigerian Tribune that the decision of the management was to prevent a security breach.
Speaking he said, “More than six months ago, we started receiving reports that the place is a security threat to the whole hospital.
“We had to tell them to move out of the place. We served them notice in November. The notice lapsed about a week ago; and two days ago the hospital took possession of the place.
“Before then, there had been several reports of a small caucus threatening the lives of senior members. Yesterday, they were brazenly threatening the CMAC.
“So no responsible management takes that kind of thing lightly. And today, they carried out their threat. A security man was stabbed, another brutalised. Both are receiving attention right now, one has stitches all over his body.”
The CMD also said that men of the police force are restoring sanity and decorum to the hospital, a statement that was confirmed by Nigerian Tribune when it visited.
Bode said that the recovered secretariat would be converted to wards as the hospital was lacking space, adding that “The ARD has been advised to confine its activities to the ARD Lounge under the Labour Ward”.
Meanwhile, ARD LUTH President, Dr Sekunmade explained that the association had planned to hold a protest over their unpaid salaries, poor working conditions and other grievances from the secretariat.
He said that the takeover of the only office of the association was orchestrated by the management to muzzle their voices and freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
and then