The Elegant Nurses Forum (ENF) has condemned a “brutal and disgraceful assault” on a nurse at Asaba Specialist Hospital, allegedly committed by a medical doctor known as Dr. Mark. The victim was reportedly attacked “in the full view of patients,” resulting in a “visibly swollen face.” The ENF described the incident as a criminal breach of professional ethics.
The assault, occurring in a setting “meant for healing, compassion, and professionalism,” highlights a “dangerous culture of impunity that has been allowed to fester.” The forum warned that “any medical professional who can physically attack a colleague in the presence of patients poses a clear danger” to staff and the patients entrusted to their care.
Labeling the attack “animalistic, unacceptable, and incompatible with medical practice,” the ENF argued that “a person who exhibits such violent loss of control… requires urgent assessment.” They criticized regulatory bodies for enabling the “excesses of some doctors,” claiming that “selective silence and protection have emboldened misconduct, harassment, and outright violence against Nurses.”
The forum demanded the “immediate suspension of Dr. Mark’s medical licence” and a “mandatory psychiatric evaluation.” Vowing that “an injury to one Nurse is an injury to all,” the group called for public accountability from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, seeking compensation for the victim and improved safety for nurses nationwide.