Tension is mounting in Ondo State’s health sector as nurses have threatened to withdraw from night duties following a violent attack on health workers at a primary health facility in Akure.
The threat was issued by the chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Ondo State Council, Comrade Felix Orobode, after armed men reportedly invaded the Oke Ijebu Health Centre, abducting staff and looting valuables.
The incident, which occurred in the early hour of Saturday, has heightened fears among health workers, raising concerns over their safety and the possible disruption of healthcare services across the state.
Describing the development as disturbing, Orobode said the attack highlighted the worsening security situation in the state, especially as it occurred in a central part of Akure.
“For such an incident to happen in Oke Ijebu, in the heart of Akure, shows clearly that insecurity is becoming more alarming,” he said.
He warned that nurses across the state may be forced to boycott night shifts if urgent steps are not taken to guarantee their safety.
“We cannot continue to expose our members to danger. If government fails to secure our health facilities, nurses will withdraw from night duties across Ondo State,” he declared.
Orobode lamented the poor security arrangements in many public health centres, stressing that most facilities rely on untrained and poorly equipped guards.
“In many of these centres, you find elderly, unarmed guards without any professional training. That is not enough to safeguard lives,” he said.
He added that the growing fear among health workers could negatively affect service delivery, as many may become reluctant to attend to patients during vulnerable hours.
“When health workers are not safe, their morale is affected, and that ultimately impacts the quality of care,” he noted.
The NANNM chairman disclosed that discussions were ongoing with the state commissioner for health and the chairman of Akure South Local Government to address the situation.
He, however, stressed that the union’s State Executive Council would soon take a final decision on the proposed industrial action if concrete security measures are not implemented.
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