The House of Representatives Committee on Health Institutions has condemned the assault on a female doctor by family members of a deceased patient at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Keffi.
Rep. Amos Magaji, Chairman of the Committee, made the committee’s stand known shortly after members carried out an oversight visit at the FMC Keffi in Keffi local government area of Nasarawa state on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that four members of a deceased patient allegedly assaulted a female doctor on Tuesday, at about 11pm at the premises of the medical centre.
The victim was slapped several times while trying to pass a walkway overcrowded by the deceased patient’s family members.
Reacting to the development, Magaji who said addressing the incident was the committee’s first engagement on entering the medical center for their oversight function described it unacceptable.
“As a committee, we condemn it in clear terms. It is unacceptable for anybody to harass and assault any health worker.
“Anybody who does that will be handled accordingly. The law of Nigeria will take full effect to ensure that assault, intimidation, harassment of health workers must stop by all means,” he said.
He assured that his committee would ensure those accused of assault the female doctor are prosecuted and made to face the wrath of the law so as to serve as deterrent to others.
“If we allow this to pass people will continue to do it. We don’t want a situation where somebody will stab a doctor,. We will bring these people to book and ensure they are punished” he said.
Magaji added that the committee also went round the medical centre and inspected projects executed by management of the centre within the 2022 and 2023 budget framework.
“Coming into this hospital, what we noticed is that the budgetary allocation for the hospital is by far too low to handle the patient load of this hospital.
“Nevertheless we have heard the challenges facing the hospital and we will see to it that intervention is done for this hospital and of course in the 2025 appropriation we will ensure enough money is appropriated for the hospital,” he said.
In an interview, Dr Yahaya Adamu, Chief Medical Director of FMC Keffi appreciated the visit of the House of Representatives committee which he said will afford them to know first hand some of the challenges facing the medical centre.
“We thank them for coming and making very objective assessment of the situation we are in and I am sure they will look at us differently in the next year budget,” he said.
Adamu who revealed that one of the four accused of assaulting a female doctor in the hospital has already been arrested assured that every necessary step is already been taken in conjunction with security agencies to arrest the remaining three to face justice. (NAN)
By Olukayode Babalola
