By Editor
Activities at the Plateau Specialist Hospital, Jos, were disrupted for more than two hours yesterday after security operatives reportedly arrested a staff member following a disagreement involving a patient and visiting-hour restrictions.
The incident, which occurred around 11am, reportedly triggered tension among workers and patients, with some members of staff said to have temporarily withdrawn from their duty posts in protest over the arrest.
A source within the hospital told Vanguard that the staff member was on duty when he was allegedly picked up by security operatives following a complaint by a patient.
The source said the incident stemmed from the worker’s attempt to enforce the hospital management’s directive regulating visiting hours.
According to the source, the staff member had stopped a visitor who allegedly attempted to see a patient outside the approved visiting period.
The action, the source said, reportedly angered the patient, who subsequently contacted security operatives, leading to the staff member’s arrest.
The source said the development caused considerable tension within the facility, as some workers temporarily abandoned their duty posts while efforts were made to resolve the situation.
“The staff was only trying to enforce the hospital’s visiting-hour directive when the incident occurred. His arrest generated tension among the workers and affected activities in the hospital for some time,” the source said.
Another source said the disruption lasted for over two hours before normal activities gradually resumed.
“There was tension because staff members were concerned about what happened to their colleague. But the situation has been brought under control and normal activities have resumed,” the source said.
It was gathered that the hospital management was making efforts to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and resolve the matter.
As of the time of filing this report, efforts to obtain comments from the management of Plateau Specialist Hospital and the relevant security agencies were unsuccessful.
Normal activities had, however, resumed at the facility.
