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I came across the notice above from the Nigerian Medical Association (Niger State Branch), where doctors were directed to immediately withdraw their clinical services after a house officer was allegedly assaulted while on duty.
First of all, let me make it clear that no healthcare worker deserves to be assaulted, intimidated or attacked while carrying out their duties. Anyone responsible for such an act should be identified and made to face the full weight of the law.
However, this situation also raises another important question:
So, who is the medical body really trying to punish, the alleged assaulter or innocent patients?
Because if the goal is to send a message to the government or hospital authorities, why not direct the pressure toward the individuals responsible for the incident? Why should patients, many of whom have absolutely no connection to the assault, be denied access to healthcare services?
This is a pattern we have seen repeatedly. Whenever there is a dispute between medical workers and government officials, hospital management, or influential personalities, the first people to suffer are usually innocent patients who may already be fighting for their lives.
By this logic, should society also accept collective punishment in other situations? If a criminal commits an offence, do we punish their family members who had nothing to do with it? Most people would agree that would be unfair. So why should patients be made to carry the burden of disputes they had no role in creating?
While as citizens we continue to advocate for- Better healthcare infrastructure
- Improved working conditions
- Better salaries and welfare for healthcare workers
- Protection of medical professionals from violence
we should also speak against- The casual maltreatment of patients by some healthcare personnel
- The culture of using patients as bargaining chips during disputes
- Collective punishment that hurts innocent people seeking medical care
A sick patient arriving at a hospital is not responsible for government failures, management decisions or the misconduct of an individual who assaulted a doctor.
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