FG Moves To Protect Health Workers After 18 Assault Cases In One Year

The federal government has directed the immediate implementation of measures to strengthen the protection of health workers across the country following growing incidents of assault, intimidation and harassment in health facilities.

The directive followed the submission of the report of the Ministerial Committee on the Harassment of Health Workers by Security Personnel, which was constituted on May 19, 2026, after an incident involving operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and health workers at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Akwa Ibom State.

According to an official statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, the committee found that the Uyo incident was not an isolated case, as 18 incidents of assault, intimidation or harassment were recorded across federal tertiary health institutions within the past 12 months.

The report indicated that the attacks involved patients, relatives, members of the public and security personnel, resulting in bodily injuries, psychological trauma, damage to hospital property, disruption of healthcare services and industrial actions.

It identified poor communication, prolonged waiting times, inadequate staffing, poor infrastructure, emotional distress, abuse of authority and the absence of clear security protocols as major contributing factors.

Following the submission of the report, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, accepted the committee’s recommendations and directed their immediate implementation in line with an accompanying action plan.

Pate said health workers dedicate their lives to caring for Nigerians and must be able to perform their duties in a safe and secure environment free from violence, intimidation and harassment.

“The federal government will continue to work with all relevant institutions to protect our health workforce, uphold the rule of law and ensure that healthcare delivery is never compromised,” he said.

As part of the measures, the government directed that anyone who assaults, threatens, intimidates or harasses a health worker should be investigated and prosecuted under existing criminal, civil or administrative laws where sufficient evidence exists.

It also ordered all federal tertiary health institutions to strengthen internal security arrangements by establishing Violence Prevention Teams, improving access control, surveillance systems, visitor identification processes and security within emergency units and other sensitive areas.

The government further directed each health institution to designate liaison officers to work with law enforcement agencies, while ensuring that security operations within hospitals do not endanger patients, interrupt treatment, breach confidentiality or obstruct essential health services.

The ministry also mandated health facilities to promptly report, investigate and document all incidents of assault or harassment, provide institutional support to affected workers and refer serious cases to relevant law enforcement, regulatory or human rights authorities.

Hospital managements were also instructed to strengthen complaint-handling mechanisms, improve communication with patients and provide staff training on conflict prevention and de-escalation as part of broader efforts to improve workplace safety, patient care and public confidence in the health system.

The statement added that the broader policy recommendations would be presented at the next National Council on Health for consideration towards adopting a national framework applicable to federal, state and private health institutions.

The ministry said it would monitor implementation of the directives through periodic progress reports, while reaffirming that no grievance or noofficial assignment justifies violence against health workers or interference with healthcare delivery.

It stressed that offenders would be held accountable under existing laws while measures would be taken to ensure uninterrupted patient care.