The Elegant Nurses Forum has condemned alleged workplace intimidation, victimisation, and the normalisation of quackery at the Primary Health Care Centre, Oke-Adu, in Ibadan North East Local Government Area of Oyo State.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Nurse Thomas Abiodun Olamide, the forum described reports emerging from the facility as “deeply disturbing” and called for immediate investigations by relevant authorities.
According to the forum, credible reports indicated that concerns were raised by healthcare professionals over the alleged delegation of clinical responsibilities to unqualified individuals and the alleged normalisation of unauthorised personnel within the facility.
The group alleged that instead of professionally addressing the concerns, those suspected of speaking up were subjected to hostility, intimidation, emotional victimisation, and a toxic work environment.
“It is deeply troubling that in a healthcare system already battling serious manpower shortages and declining public confidence, individuals who speak up for professional ethics, patient safety, and accountability may allegedly be subjected to isolation, harassment, and coordinated hostility within their workplace,” the statement read.
The forum stressed that nursing remains a profession guided by ethics, competence, accountability, and discipline, warning that healthcare workers should never be punished for resisting unethical practices.
“No nurse or healthcare worker should be punished, intimidated, or psychologically targeted for refusing to support quackery or unethical practices capable of endangering patients and damaging the integrity of the healthcare profession,” the group stated.
The Elegant Nurses Forum also expressed concern over allegations that sweeping and cleaning duties were allegedly used as tools of intimidation and humiliation against healthcare professionals within the facility.
“While environmental cleanliness remains important in healthcare settings, it must never be weaponised as a means of humiliation, victimisation, or psychological pressure against any staff member,” the statement added.
The forum further alleged attempts to provoke reactions and create conflict involving individuals who were earlier suspected of reporting professional misconduct within the centre.
It emphasised that workplace violence extends beyond physical assault to include emotional harassment, intimidation, verbal humiliation, coordinated hostility, and psychological pressure.
“Healthcare institutions should encourage transparency, accountability, and ethical reporting, not create fear for those who speak up in defence of professional standards and patient safety,” the forum said.
The organisation called for immediate investigations into allegations of quackery, unethical delegation of duties, workplace intimidation, emotional harassment, and abuse of authority at the health centre.
It also urged the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) and the Oyo State Anti-Quackery Committee to intervene and investigate the alleged activities of unqualified individuals within the facility.
Among other demands, the forum called for disciplinary action against any staff found culpable, protection for whistleblowers, and urgent reforms to strengthen ethical standards and professional supervision across primary healthcare centres in Oyo State.
“The Nursing profession must never be reduced to an environment where individuals are punished simply for standing for ethics, accountability, and patient safety,” the statement concluded.
The group urged the Oyo State Government, Ministry of Health, healthcare unions, anti-quackery committees, and other professional stakeholders not to ignore the allegations.
“Silence in the face of unethical practices only encourages professional decay, weakens public confidence in the healthcare system, and places innocent patients at risk,” the forum warned. #Securitynewsalert.com
