The Federal Government has directed the immediate implementation of measures aimed at strengthening the protection of health workers across the country.
As part of the directive, all Federal Tertiary Health Institutions have been instructed to enhance their internal security systems by establishing Violence Prevention Teams and improving access control, surveillance, visitor identification, and security within emergency departments and other critical service areas.
The directive follows the submission of the report of the Ministerial Committee on the Harassment of Health Workers by Security Personnel. The Committee was constituted on May 19, 2026, after an incident at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Akwa Ibom State, where operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) clashed with hospital staff, disrupting clinical services and triggering industrial action.
In a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, the government stressed that no grievance, disagreement, or official assignment can lawfully justify violence against health workers or interference with the delivery of healthcare services.
Kachollom stated that existing laws would be fully enforced, offenders held accountable, and all lawful measures taken to secure health facilities, protect health workers, and ensure uninterrupted patient care.
According to the statement, the Committee reviewed reports from Federal Tertiary Health Institutions and consulted relevant professional, regulatory, security, and human rights bodies during the course of its assignment.
The Committee found that the Uyo incident was not an isolated case. Rather, 18 incidents involving assault, intimidation, or harassment were reported across federal tertiary health institutions within the previous 12 months. These incidents involved patients, relatives, members of the public, and security personnel, and resulted in bodily injuries, psychological trauma, damage to hospital property, disruption of healthcare services, and industrial actions.
The Committee also identified several factors contributing to these incidents, including poor communication, prolonged waiting times, inadequate staffing, deficient infrastructure, emotional distress, abuse of authority, and the absence of clear security protocols.
The statement further disclosed that the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, had accepted the Committee’s recommendations and directed their immediate implementation in line with the accompanying action plan.
It added that any individual who assaults, threatens, intimidates, or harasses a health worker will be investigated and, where sufficient evidence exists, prosecuted under the applicable laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The government emphasized that the absence of a specific law dealing exclusively with violence against health workers does not prevent enforcement under existing criminal, civil, or administrative laws.
The statement also noted that appropriate sanctions, compensation, and other legal remedies would be pursued where applicable.
In addition, every Federal Tertiary Health Institution has been directed to designate officers responsible for liaising with law enforcement agencies. Security operations within hospital premises must be conducted in a manner that does not endanger patients, obstruct medical treatment, compromise patient confidentiality, or disrupt essential healthcare services.
FG Assures Workers of Wage Award Payment
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has assured public servants that the outstanding wage award will be paid before the middle of August, while promotion arrears are currently being processed as part of ongoing efforts to fulfil its commitments to workers.
The assurance was given during a meeting between the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, and the leadership of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC), Trade Side, led by its National President, Kabiru Minjibir.