Dr Ogugua Osi-ogbu, Consultant Physician, National Hospital Abuja, has urged female doctors to report cases of threats and assault on them by patients.
Similarly, she urged Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of hospitals to ensure a thorough orientation for their staff, adding that organisations must encourage female doctors to come forward when threatened assaulted while doing their job.
Osi-ogbu made the comments on Thursday, in Abuja, at the 9th Near East and Africa Regional Congress under the theme: ‘The Role of Leaders in Preventing Violence at Workplace.’
She also urged hospital managements to make use of surveys to monitor and evaluate improvements at their hospitals, saying that the hospitals should have posters stating their zero tolerance for violence.
While calling for the appreciation of health workers, she advised hospital managements to emphasise that they would not tolerate their workers being violated.
The consultant advocated for the provision of hotlines that could be made available for patients or patients’ family members to make their complaints.
Dr Poopola Margaret of the Department of Traumatic and Orthopaedic Surgery, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said that the scope of violence at the workplace was becoming highly alarming.
“Violence has become very alarming worldwide; it is the second leading cause of death for women at work,” she said, adding that because between 50 to 80 per cent of the cases go unreported, the scope would actually be difficult to capture.
“Data tells us that women underreport violence and harassment; the violence can be physical, sexual and economical.
“A recent study showed that younger doctors faced violence more than older doctors, while female doctors suffer more than male doctors.
“The violence has negative impacts on the victim; it causes her to drop out of her profession and also affects her finances,” she said.
Margaret stated that the culture of silence was now a common phenomenon in Africa, adding that the sensitivity of the event often made the female doctors not to talk.
According to her, generally, women are not safe at work because women have low status both at home and in the country.
Meanwhile, Dr Dabota Buowari, Vice Chairman, Medical Women International Association Work Life Balance Special Interest Group, said psychological damage and impaired development could be the aftermath of violence, assault and threat meted against female doctors.
“When such occurred in the workplace, it becomes workplace violence and this had been considered a global problem, not just in Africa.
“The World Health Organisation is saying that the workplace should be freed from any type of harassment or assault and when it occurred it should be fairly and promptly resolved,” she said.
Buowari, who is with the Department of Accident and Emergency, University of Port Harcourt, stated that violence at the workplace was more of a global problem than of Nigeria’s, though wherever it occurred against female doctors, it should be addressed.