24/05/2025
🔴 Why the Arrest of 3 Nurses at UCTH Is Unjust, Dangerous, and Must Never Happen Again.
This week, three nurses—Joy, Mary, and Deborah—were arrested while providing emergency care at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) in Cross River State. Their offense? A patient had died, and a relative claimed his SIM card was missing.
Here’s why this arrest was not just wrong—it was dangerous, unethical, and unconstitutional:
1. It Violated Medical Ethics and Patient Safety
Arresting nurses mid-shift disrupted critical patient care. Emergency units rely on teamwork and presence. Detaining caregivers in the middle of their duty:
Abandons patients
Risks preventable deaths
Undermines the entire emergency care system
2. It Violated Constitutional Rights
Under Section 35 of the Nigerian Constitution, everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty. There was:
No hospital inquiry
No formal complaint
No concrete evidence—just an accusation
Yet, the police proceeded with an embarrassing public arrest.
3. It Criminalized Emergency Care
The patient was reportedly brought in by a Good Samaritan. Arresting nurses for treating an unknown person sends a chilling message:
Don’t help strangers
Don’t provide care unless you know the patient
Expect arrest for doing your job
This could lead to fear-driven inaction in emergency situations—and ultimately, more deaths.
4. It Inflicted Emotional Trauma and Institutional Damage
One nurse’s mother reportedly lost her voice from crying.
Families were confused, humiliated, and traumatized.
Nurses across UCTH were demoralized and forced to protest.
Patients suffered delays and disruptions in care.
This harms not only the nurses involved but the healthcare system as a whole.
5. It Violated Global Healthcare Protection Norms
International bodies like the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Council of Nurses (ICN) are clear:
"Healthcare providers must be allowed to deliver care without fear of harassment or criminalization."
This arrest goes directly against those standards and puts Nigeria in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.
🚨 What Must Happen Now:
👉 A public apology to the nurses and the institution.
👉 Disciplinary action against the officers who carried out the arrest.
👉 Clear protocols for how law enforcement should engage with hospitals.
👉 Legal protection for healthcare workers providing care on duty.
This is not just about three nurses. It’s about every health professional who might now be afraid to do their job. It’s about patients whose lives depend on quick, fearless, compassionate care. It’s about restoring dignity to the nursing profession.
Let this be a turning point—not just an outrage cycle. We must protect our caregivers so they can protect us.
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