Ward attendants at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Lokoja, Kogi State, yesterday, staged a peaceful protest following the death of their colleague, Salamatu Aliu, who worked in the post-natal ward, accusing doctors and nurses in the hospital of negligence which they believe led to Salamatu’s death on Sunday.
A ward attendant, who did not want her name in print, said Salamatu was brought to the hospital for medical attention after completing a seven-day night shift.
“However, she was referred to the Specialist Hospital in Lokoja because the hospital (FMC) lacked electricity to conduct tests. Unfortunately, Salamatu passed away upon arrival at the Specialist Hospital before receiving medical care.”
The ward attendants expressed frustration over what they described as the nonchalant attitude of the doctors and nurses on duty that day, which they believed contributed to Salamatu’s death.
During the protest, they chanted slogans emphasising the value of every life and demanding fair treatment.
The protest ended after senior staff members of the hospital intervened and promised to thoroughly investigate the incident.
The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital was unavailable for comment as he was said to be attending to urgent matters elsewhere.
However, a senior staff member, Mr Enny O, said the issue was being addressed to determine what happened and take appropriate action.
It was learnt that a similar incident happened in the same hospital a few months ago, when relatives of a deceased patient took aggressive actions against medical personnel, alleging negligence on the part of the doctors on duty.
