Protest Erupts in Calabar as Nurses Demand Release of Colleagues Arrested Over Patient’s Death

Nurses at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) staged a protest on Monday over the arrest of three of their colleagues by the Nigeria Police following the death of a patient in the hospital.

The protest, which disrupted activities at the hospital, saw over 200 nurses barricading the hospital’s main gate, preventing vehicular movement and access to the facility. The demonstration later moved to the Cross River State Police Command Headquarters as the nurses demanded the immediate and unconditional release of their colleagues.

According to a report by VANGUARD, the three nurses were arrested after a patient who was brought into the hospital by an unidentified Good Samaritan died during the night. The police accused the nurses of negligence for failing to obtain data from the individual who brought in the patient.

A protesting nurse who spoke under the condition of anonymity explained the situation:

“A patient was brought into the hospital by a Good Samaritan and made some payments for his treatment before leaving. Unfortunately, the patient died before dawn. When his relatives arrived and learned of his death, they noticed his SIM card was missing. They demanded that we provide the missing SIM or information about the Good Samaritan. When we couldn’t, they went to the police, who then arrested three nurses who attended to the patient.”

Efforts to speak with the hospital management during the protest were unsuccessful, and medical services were severely affected, with several patients unable to access care.

When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, confirmed the arrest and criticized the nurses’ actions:

“How can trained nurses admit a patient into the hospital facility without taking data from the Good Samaritan, who brought the patient into the hospital? It’s unethical,” Ugbo stated.

She, however, added that the Commissioner of Police had ordered the immediate release of the arrested nurses.

VANGUARD