WMA President Calls On Nigerian Fed Govt. To Declare A National Emergency On Violence Against Healthcare Workers

World Medical Association president, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, has called on the Nigerian government and managers of health institutions in the country to declare a state of emergency on the rising tide of violence against healthcare workers in the country.
Dr. Enabulele made the call while speaking as a guest lecturer at the opening ceremony of the 63rd Annual General Conference and Delegates Meeting of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) held on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, at the Catholic Event Centre in Jalingo, Taraba State.
In his lecture titled,’Violence Against Healthcare Workers in Nigeria: The Way Forward’,” the WMA president also decried the rising incidents of violence against healthcare workers in Nigeria, which he put at a prevalence of 10-60percent compared to the global prevalence of 8-38 percent.
The former NMA President expressed great worry that despite tremendous efforts being made by physicians, and other health professionals to deliver health care services to the people, they were still being violently assaulted in their workplaces, particularly in the emergency care units, primary care clinics, wards and psychiatric units of hospitals in the country.
Identifying verbal abuse, physical assault, and kidnapping as common forms of violence against healthcare workers, he affirmed that the perpetrators of violence against healthcare workers were mostly relatives of patients, the patients themselves, co-workers, and kidnappers.
Expressing dismay and disappointment at the absence of a violence prevention protocol in most healthcare facilities in Nigeria, the WMA president identified issues of long waiting time, increased workload and inadequate supply of equipment, poor communication and negative attitude by some health workers, patient’s history of violent behaviour, and dissatisfaction with the care given, as some of the factors responsible for the rising cases of violence against healthcare workers.
Recommending how to stem the tide of violence in the health sector, Dr. Enabulele called on government at all levels to declare an emergency and adopt a zero-tolerance policy on violence in the health sector.
He called on all tiers of government to move speedily towards the attainment of Universal Health Coverage, as he charged them to address the social determinants of health and resolve all existing health inequities.
Dr. Enabulele appealed to governments to improve the funding of the health system as well as investments in the well-being, security, safety, and working conditions of physicians and other health professionals.
He implored governments, law enforcement agencies, health institutions and health professional associations like the NMA, to always ensure that every case of violence against a healthcare worker is prosecuted to a logical conclusion.
The WMA boss urged the managers of health institutions to improve the security architecture in their health facilities, develop violence prevention protocols, enhance patient experience, and build the capacity of their health personnel, amongst other measures to improve service delivery in the sector.
While declaring the conference open, the governor of Taraba State, Darius Dickson Ishaku, thanked the NMA for hosting the conference in Taraba State, and informed participants of his government’s efforts to advance healthcare delivery in the state.
The governor urged the physicians and other healthcare workers to remain faithful to their duties, and thanked them for their contributions to healthcare delivery and national development.
In his welcome address, the president of NMA, Dr. Uche Ojinmah expressed delight that the Taraba State branch of the association was hosting the conference.
Dignitaries and personalities who graced the opening ceremony included, HRM, Manu Ishaku Adda, the Aku Uka of Wukari, who was the royal father of the day, the Taraba State commissioner of Health, the Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Dr. T.A.B. Sanusi, among others.
Dr Onabulele, the WMA president paid a surprise visit to his alma mater, Federal Government College, Wukari, where he interacted with the school’s principal, staff and students. He is a 1988 graduate of the unity school.