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Nigeria: Nurse Sues National Hospital CMD, Wife Over Alleged Unethical Practice
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Vanguard (Lagos)
18 July 2008
Posted to the web 18 July 2008
Ise-Oluwa Ige and Ikechukwu Nnochiri
Lagos
A Staff Nurse with the National Hospital, Abuja , Ihuoma Chinansa Doris has sued the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Ajuwon and his wife Matron Julie before a Federal high court sitting in Abuja over alleged unethical practices.
The nurse told the court that the duo were in the habit of wrongfully feeding patients against medical ethics.
For instance, she said the hospital under the management of Dr Ajuwon wrongfully feeds critically ill patient on NG tube with solid food and vegetable soup. She also accused the Chief Medical Director of harassing her sexually.
Also named as respondents are the National Hospital, Abuja, S.A. Ibrahim, Dr. Patience Ahmed, Dr. Oluwanuga and Dr. Ibrahim Wada.
The aggrieved nurse in a 43- paragraph affidavit in support of a motion on notice which she deposed to by herself stated that she did not have any problem with the hospital including the CMD except that on employment in the hospital, he allegedly wanted to go out with her, a request she turned down even with some reasons assumedly understood by the CMD.
The nurse who raised an alarm that her job was on the line said that her alleged ordeal could be as a result of her 'refusal to consent to the illegal removal of one baby Okon from the unit, one night while I was on duty, by Mrs. Ajuwon (CMD's wife), Dr. Patience Ahmed and others.
She said that her ordeal could also be her "refusal to wrongfully feed patients against medical ethics such as feeding a critically ill patient on NG tube with solid food and vegetable soup and my refusal to give clients already drawn injection in a syringe upon directive that I administer same to patient does not know the content either.
The affidavit also noted that the CMD summoned the nurse in his office and offered her fruit juice which she refused to drink immediately and rather told him that he would take it later which resulted in the CMD forcefully taking it away from her.
According to the affidavit, 'when I refused to take the fruit juice, the CMD forcefully took the drink from my hand and said that he is declaring me a psychopath and that he is going to treat me as a psychiatric patient. There and then the CMD called other persons including the 3rd to 7th defendants on his phone and some other persons.
'One of the persons he called I later discovered to be Dr.[Mrs.] Ephraim Oluwanuga who came in with an already drawn injection in a syringe filled with unknown substance.
"That at this stage, I knew that it was a grand conspiracy already concluded against me and I knew that the injection they wanted to give me was not going to be in my favour'
Against the foregoing, the plaintiff is praying the court for an order restraining 2nd to the 7th defendants and their agents from terminating her employment with the hospital pending determination of the motion on notice.
She also asked for an order restraining the 2nd to 7th defendants/respondents from further harassing, intimidating, arresting or attempting to arrest her for the purpose of injecting her with drug or substance which content is unknown to her pending the determination of the motion on notice.
Besides, she demanded for an order of the court restraining the defendants by themselves, agents and privies from stopping her salary, benefit and allowances pending the determination of motion on notice.
Although the nurse did not say that the substance was finally injected into her body, she rather disclosed that in the process of struggling with the security, she was 'man-handled and assaulted by the defendants and the security men who stayed in wait at the entrance of the CMD office to ensure I did not escape the injection'
In some of the letters dated January 11, 2008 attached to the court processes, Doris was certified mentally fit by one Prof. U.H. Ihezue, Consultant Psychiatrist, Federal Medical Centre, Owerri.
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The plaintiff has also petitioned the Nigeria Medical and Dental Council on her issue aside from reporting same to the Legal Aid Council.
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