Delta state commissioner for health, Joseph Onojaeme, on Tuesday, January 6, suspended a medical doctor at the Asaba Specialist Hospital (ASH) over allegations that he assaulted a nurse, Kuku Destiny, at the hospital.
The commissioner said the one-month suspension was to enable a panel, constituted to thoroughly investigate the issue, to carry out its work effectively.
Onojaeme said, “The chief medical director briefed me about the incident, so I immediately instructed her to set up an internal panel to look into the matter.
“The doctor in question has been suspended without pay for one month, pending the investigation report.”
Destiny alleged that the doctor hit her with a jotter and a plastic chair at the hospital, over a patient folder that had been dropped in his office.
She said, “There were just three patients left in the morning. Dr. Mark said he was closing by 2 o’clock. I informed Ike, who wanted me to take a folder to him, that the doctor had already closed since it was past 2 o’clock.
“He then went to check if the doctor was still in his office and returned. Ike took the folder to him.
“Later, Dr. Mark came to where I was and shouted, ‘Who brought this folder to me?’ I kept quiet, but he became very angry and started insulting me, my father, and my generation.
“He took a jotter and hit me very hard, then carried a plastic chair and struck me on the head.
“That was when I stood up to ask what I had done wrong. I wanted to retaliate, but I couldn’t because cleaners and Ike intervened.
“He even attempted to attack me further, but they held him off. I then reported the incident to my Head of Department (HoD).”
The chief medical director of the hospital, Peace Ighosewe, said the hospital would make a statement on the issue very soon, assuring that when the statement is released, all relevant information will be made.
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