Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Medical doctors at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) in Kwara State have suspended their services following the alleged physical assault of a colleague by a woman who had just lost her child at the facility. The incident occurred on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at the hospital's Pediatrics Department. The grieving mother, who had suffered the loss of her child, reportedly lost control and attacked the attending physician.
The assaulted doctor is said to be in critical condition and receiving treatment. The woman has been arrested, and an investigation into the incident is ongoing.
On Thursday, July 9, hundreds of out-patients arrived at the hospital as early as 7:00 a.m. seeking medical attention but were left waiting for hours without being attended to. The protest action has effectively paralyzed operations across multiple departments of the teaching hospital.
Members of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) staged a peaceful protest within the hospital premises, condemning the attack and calling for better protection of healthcare workers. Speaking during the protest, the doctors' spokesperson, Dr E. Oladepo, described the Wednesday incident as the third of its kind at the hospital. He questioned whether doctors, many of whom have already left the country for better opportunities, should be subjected to such "in-human acts" by people seeking quality healthcare.
A hospital source disclosed that the doctors' action, aimed at demanding justice for their assaulted colleague, may last five days with the hope that they will return to work on Monday, July 13. However, consultants may continue attending to emergency patients in critical condition to prevent loss of life.
Speaking to disappointed patients, the protesting doctors appealed to members of the public to stop the persistent assault on healthcare providers. They maintained that medical professionals must be treated with dignity and respect, and that violence against them would not be tolerated.
This incident is the latest in a series of physical attacks on healthcare workers in Nigerian hospitals. In December 2022, UITH resident doctors commenced a five-day strike over the assault of a colleague by relatives of a deceased patient. In January 2025, another resident doctor was slapped and kicked by a patient's son at the hospital. The recurring pattern of violence has prompted calls for stronger security measures and legal protections for medical personnel.
As of the time of filing this report, the Kwara State Government and the hospital management had yet to issue an official statement on the strike or the incident that triggered it. The situation has left patients and their families in distress, with many forced to return home without receiving the care they urgently needed.
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