Resident Doctors Protest At FMC Owo After Doctor Was Sl∆pped, Manh∆ndled By Patient’s Wife
Resident Doctors Protest At FMC Owo After Doctor Was Slapped, Manhandled By Patient’s Wife
Clinical services at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owo, Ondo State, are expected to be significantly disrupted as resident doctors at the tertiary health institution commence a mass protest today, Monday, June 15, 2026.
The protest follows a series of violent attacks on doctors while on duty and what the medical practitioners describe as the hospital management’s failure to provide adequate security measures or ensure the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the assaults.
SaharaReporters exclusively gathered that the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), FMC Owo Chapter, had initially planned to embark on an indefinite strike last Wednesday after earlier ultimatums issued to management expired without resolution.
However, in a move aimed at drawing public attention to their concerns and increasing pressure on the hospital authorities, the association reportedly reviewed its strategy and opted for a protest action that could result in a shutdown of services rather than an immediate strike.
The doctors are demanding an urgent overhaul of security arrangements across the hospital, with particular emphasis on the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department, which they described as one of the most vulnerable areas for healthcare workers due to recurring incidents of violence and intimidation.
Sources within the federal hospital revealed that the current crisis reached a boiling point following an incident at the Akure Annex of the hospital on Saturday, May 30, 2026.
According to an official communique signed by the ARD President, Dr. Adeola Oluwadamilola, and General Secretary, Dr. Dare Aderemi, a doctor on call was severely assaulted, slapped multiple times, and violently manhandled by the wife of a male patient.
The union lamented that physical aggression against healthcare workers has become a “recurring decimal” at FMC Owo, noting that the May 30 incident marked the second time a medical doctor was publicly attacked within the facility in less than six months.
Following that incident, the congress had declared a warning 72-hour strike on May 31, 2026, giving the management explicit conditions for an amicable resolution.
These included the deployment of adequate armed security personnel, the immediate arrest and prosecution of the fleeing female assailant, a public apology published in a national daily by the attacker, and the payment of heavy damages to the traumatized physician.
However, over two weeks after the resolutions were served, the institution’s management has failed to fulfill any of the terms, leaving the doctors vulnerable to further physical attacks by hostile patients and their relatives.
Confirming the development, a doctor from the hospital who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “Another strike was supposed to commence last Wednesday but the association resolved to use another approach which is protest.
“So the association will be protesting on Monday against assault on doctors within FMC Owo. The aim is for the management to provide security within the hospital, particularly A&E.”
The situation at FMC Owo mirrors a wider, deeply concerning trend of workplace violence in public hospitals across Nigeria, the source said.
SaharaReporters reports that due to severe brain drain, popularly known as the ‘Japa’ wave, many federal medical centres are acutely understaffed. This chronic shortage of doctors often results in extended waiting times for patients at the A&E units, creating a tense atmosphere.
