The Bayelsa State Government has intervened following a sudden strike embarked upon by the Association of Resident Doctors at the Federal Medical Centre in Yenagoa.
The industrial action was prompted by an assault on a medical doctor and the loss of personal property during a tense incident triggered by the death of a patient, whose relative had subsequently threatened and attacked the physician.
In a broadcast on Silverbird’s Rhythm 94.7 FM, Talk of the Town, the Commissioner for Health, Professor Brisibe revealed that Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, had personally stepped in immediately after he was briefed on the matter.
The Governor convening an urgent meeting with the affected doctor and the ARD leadership, ordered the immediate arrest and prosecution of the assailant, and directed that steps be taken to enhance security within the hospital premises while replacing the doctor’s lost valuables.
Furthermore, Professor Brisibe reported that extensive multi-stakeholder negotiations have been conducted among the Chief Medical Director, hospital management, traditional elders, and representatives of the suspect’s family, noting that the family has formally apologized for the assault, and the assailant has been taken into police custody, fulfilling the primary demand set by the striking doctors.
Professor Brisibe also said that the state government has deployed emergency medical services and ambulances to facilitate the transfer of critical patients to alternative facilities.
Expressing profound empathy for affected patients and grieving relatives, Professor Brisibe appealed directly to the ARD leadership, strongly urging that the strike be called off without further delay in honor of the government’s swift intervention.