Tension At Ogun Teaching Hospital As Nurses Protest Alleged Strangling Of Colleague By Patient’s Relative

Daud Olatunji

Nurses at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu, Ogun State, on Thursday, reportedly staged a protest and declared an immediate strike after a colleague was allegedly slapped, beaten and strangled by a relative of a deceased patient during a night shift.

The incident, which reportedly occurred at the hospital’s Children’s Ward on Wednesday, October 14, has reignited concerns about the safety of healthcare workers, alleged staff shortages and security arrangements at the state-owned tertiary hospital.

The development comes just days after health workers at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, Ogun State, reportedly declared a warning strike over the assault of their colleagues by a patient’s relative, raising fresh concerns about recurring attacks on medical personnel in the state’s health facilities.

The back-to-back incidents have intensified calls for stronger security measures and accountability in hospitals, where healthcare workers are expected to attend to emergencies while dealing with distressed patients and relatives.

The assaulted OOUTH nurse, identified as Nurse Adeeko, reportedly sustained injuries, suffered a temporary loss of consciousness and was subsequently taken to the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department for treatment.

The protest on Thursday followed demands by nursing staff for an impartial investigation into the alleged assault, improved security coverage, adequate staffing and assurances that healthcare workers would not be exposed to violence while attending to patients.

According to an incident report obtained by SaharaReporters, the confrontation occurred after the death of a critically ill child reportedly diagnosed with end-stage neuroblastoma.

The report indicated that the nursing team had informed the attending medical team about the child’s deteriorating condition and allegedly requested a referral to another hospital for further management.

However, the report claimed that the referral was not carried out before the child died.

The deceased child’s relatives were also alleged to have threatened to cause trouble if anything happened to the patient.

Following the death, one of the relatives allegedly turned violent and attacked Adeeko while she was on duty.

The incident report further stated that two patients reportedly suffered cardiac arrest around the same period, leaving the two nurses on duty attending to separate medical emergencies.

While the nurses were occupied with efforts to save the critically ill patients, the deceased child’s relative allegedly attacked Adeeko.

Sources familiar with the incident told SaharaReporters that the nurse was repeatedly slapped and strangled, resulting in injuries that caused her nose to bleed.

A colleague who witnessed the incident reportedly rushed to seek assistance from hospital security personnel but alleged that the response was not immediate.

According to a source, the colleague was directed to seek help from security personnel at the hospital’s main gate, which was said to be some distance from the Children’s Ward.

The supervisor on duty was eventually contacted, while the police were reportedly called to intervene.

The incident report also alleged that the deceased patient’s relatives returned to the ward at about 1:25 a.m. and continued threatening members of the nursing staff.

Adeeko reportedly lost consciousness during the confrontation and was subsequently taken to the Accident and Emergency Department.