Chaos At FMC Owo: Resident Doctors Shut Down Services, Stage Mass Protest After Colleague Was Slapped, Brutalised By Patient's Wife

Chaos At FMC Owo: Resident Doctors Shut Down Services, Stage Mass Protest After Colleague Was Slapped, Brutalised By Patient's Wife

June 15, 2026

Clinical activities at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owo, Ondo State, are set to suffer major disruptions as resident doctors embark on a mass protest on Monday over the increasing wave of attacks against medical personnel within the hospital.

The protest comes amid growing anger among doctors who accuse the hospital management of failing to protect healthcare workers from repeated assaults by patients and their relatives.

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), FMC Owo Chapter, said the action became necessary following what it described as management's inability to implement adequate security measures or ensure the arrest and prosecution of individuals responsible for attacking doctors on duty.

Sources within the institution revealed that the doctors had initially planned to commence an indefinite strike last Wednesday after previous ultimatums issued to management expired without any meaningful response.

However, the association later reviewed its strategy and opted for a mass protest aimed at drawing national attention to the deteriorating safety conditions within the hospital and mounting pressure on authorities to act swiftly.

At the centre of the crisis is an incident that occurred on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at the Akure Annex of the hospital, where a doctor on emergency duty was allegedly assaulted by the wife of a patient.

According to an official communique jointly signed by ARD President, Dr. Adeola Oluwadamilola, and General Secretary, Dr. Dare Aderemi, the female relative of a male patient reportedly slapped the doctor several times and physically manhandled him while he was attending to patients.

The association described the incident as deeply disturbing and noted that it was the second physical assault against a doctor within the facility in less than six months.

The doctors lamented that violence against healthcare workers has become a recurring problem at FMC Owo, creating an unsafe and hostile working environment for already overburdened medical personnel.

Following the incident, the resident doctors declared a 72-hour warning strike on May 31, 2026, and presented a list of demands to the hospital management as conditions for restoring industrial harmony.

Among their demands were the immediate deployment of adequate armed security personnel across the hospital, particularly at the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department, the arrest and prosecution of the alleged attacker who reportedly fled after the incident, a public apology to be published in a national newspaper, and substantial compensation for the affected doctor.

However, more than two weeks after the demands were submitted, the doctors said none had been implemented.

A doctor at the hospital, who spoke anonymously, said frustration among healthcare workers had reached a breaking point.

"Another strike was supposed to commence last Wednesday, but the association decided to adopt another approach, which is protest," the source said.

"The protest is to demand improved security within the hospital, especially at the Accident and Emergency unit, where doctors are particularly vulnerable to attacks from patients and their relatives."

The crisis at FMC Owo also highlights a broader challenge confronting Nigeria's healthcare sector.

Many public hospitals across the country are battling severe manpower shortages caused by the ongoing brain drain, popularly known as the 'Japa' phenomenon, as thousands of Nigerian doctors continue to migrate abroad in search of better working conditions and improved remuneration.

The shortage of medical personnel has placed enormous pressure on the few doctors left behind, resulting in longer waiting times, overcrowded emergency units, and heightened tensions between healthcare workers and patients.

Healthcare professionals have repeatedly warned that unless urgent steps are taken to strengthened hospital security and improve working conditions, incidents of workplace violence could become even more frequent.

As doctors take to the streets in protest, patients seeking medical attention at FMC Owo may face significant delays and disruptions, raising fresh concerns about the fragility of Nigeria's already overstretched healthcare system.

The unfolding situation has also renewed calls for federal authorities to enact stricter measures to protect healthcare workers and ensure that attacks on medical professionals are treated as serious criminal offences rather than isolated incidents.

Observers say the outcome of the protest could set an important precedent for how hospitals across Nigeria address the growing menace of violence against frontline healthcare workers.