The Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abuja, has initiated probe into the alleged negligence of eight staff members — four doctors, two nurses, and two hospital attendants — after a viral video surfaced showing road accident victims reportedly left unattended at the hospital’s emergency unit.
The controversy was sparked by a video posted on social media in which a good Samaritan accused hospital staff of refusing to treat the injured individuals he had transported from the scene of a roadside accident.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, the hospital’s Head of Clinical Services, Dr. Bioku Muftau, confirmed that the staff involved are currently under investigation for possible dereliction of duty.
He emphasized that disciplinary action would be taken against anyone found culpable.
“All the staff who were there on that particular day are going to be investigated. They are up to eight — nurses, attendants, doctors — all of them will be investigated; for now, they are four doctors, two nurses, two health assistants,” he stated.
In the viral clip, one staff member allegedly cited a shortage of gloves as the reason for not promptly attending to the victims.
Dr. Muftau clarified that the accident victims seen in the video, including one with a head injury, have since received treatment and were discharged on the same day.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian government has become involved, with the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Salako, ordering a comprehensive investigation into the matter.
Dr. Muftau assured the public that the findings of the investigation will be made public upon its conclusion.
He also refuted claims that the hospital was overwhelmed at the time of the incident, stating, “In terms of being overwhelmed, this hospital is blessed with a lot of staff. As I speak with you, we have over 100 consultants in various specialties. In neurosurgery alone, the sole specialty of surgery, we have three.”