According to the ENF, the assault occurring within a hospital setting “meant for healing, compassion, and professionalism” reflects “the dangerous culture of impunity that has been allowed to fester in parts of the Nigerian health sector.”
The Elegant Nurses Forum (ENF) has condemned what it described as a “brutal and disgraceful assault” on a practising nurse at the Asaba Specialist Hospital, Delta State, allegedly carried out by a medical doctor identified only as Dr. Mark.
In a press statement, the group said the nurse was reportedly attacked “in the full view of patients,” leaving her with “a visibly swollen face,” an incident it described as a serious breach of professional ethics and a criminal act that threatens patient safety and the integrity of Nigeria’s health system.
The statement was signed by Nurse Thomas Abiodun Olamide for the Elegant Nurses Forum.
According to the ENF, the assault occurring within a hospital setting “meant for healing, compassion, and professionalism” reflects “the dangerous culture of impunity that has been allowed to fester in parts of the Nigerian health sector.”
The forum warned that “any medical professional who can physically attack a colleague in the presence of patients poses a clear danger not just to coworkers but to the very patients entrusted to their care.”
The nurses’ body further described the alleged attack as “animalistic, unacceptable, and incompatible with medical practice,” adding that “a person who exhibits such violent loss of control in a hospital setting requires urgent assessment.”
It stressed that “condemnation alone is insufficient,” insisting that Dr. Mark must face “immediate professional and legal consequences.”
MThe statement also accused government appointees and regulatory institutions of enabling misconduct within the health sector.
The ENF said it was “deeply concerned that government appointees and regulatory bodies have, over time, enabled the excesses of some doctors,” alleging that “selective silence and protection have emboldened misconduct, harassment, and outright violence against Nurses.”
Highlighting the broader challenges facing nurses nationwide, the forum said nurses remain “the backbone of Nigeria’s collapsing health sector,” despite “chronic understaffing, excessive workloads, poor remuneration, and unsafe working conditions.”
It lamented that rather than receiving protection, nurses are met with “intimidation, assaults, and systemic neglect.”
The group linked the Asaba incident to what it described as a pattern of victimisation of nurses who speak out, citing “the recent persecution of Nurse Rufus Mojisola in Kwara State,” which it said shows that “speaking up for what is right has become dangerous for Nurses.”
Declaring that “Enough is Enough,” the ENF demanded, among other measures, the “immediate suspension of Dr. Mark’s medical licence, pending a transparent and independent investigation,” as well as a “mandatory psychiatric evaluation” before any consideration of a return to practice.
It also called for “public accountability and disciplinary action” by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, protection for nurses against workplace violence, compensation for the assaulted nurse, and improved welfare and working conditions for nurses nationwide.
The statement concluded that the forum stands “in solidarity with the assaulted Nurse and with all Nurses across Nigeria who continue to endure hostility while providing essential care,” vowing: “We will not be silent, and we will not retreat in the face of intimidation or violence. An injury to one Nurse is an injury to all.”