Doctor Attacked As Psychiatric Patients Protest Poor Treatment

Some patients on admission at Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, reportedly protested on Wednesday.

The protest according to report was as a result of poor treatments they are daily subjected to in the hospital.

One of the doctors was said have been attacked by the protesting patients during the crisis while the nurses and other doctors took to their heels.

The protest said to have taken the entire staff of the health facility by surprise reportedly lasted for over two hours before police operatives from the Lafenwa Divisional Headquarters intervened and brought the situation under control.

According to a source who witnessed the protest, “The patients were protesting poor feeding, poor sanitary system, general insensitivity on the part of the management of the hospital, absence of an alternative source of power each time there is a power cut from the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company among others”.

“The challenge has been ongoing for a while until today when the patients resorted to protesting the situation even when it became obvious that management of the health facility would not remedy the situation”.

Also, a female relative of one of the patients on admission, who does not want her name in print, said that the least amount being paid by each of the affected patients ranged from N500, 000 to N700, 000 depending on the length of their stay in the hospital.

The Lafenwa Divisional Police Officer, Enatufe Omoh who confirmed the incident, said that only one of the doctors was attacked during the protest

Enatufe said that the protesters had disagreements with their handlers at the health facility having been denied some privileges, which included not allowing them to see their relations who would take them home after being discharged from the hospital, as well as not being allowed to freely move around among others.