Protest rocked the main gate of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH, following the arrest of three nurses by the police.

The nurses were arrested following the death of a patient yesterday inside the hospital.

Nurses, numbering about 400 came out and blocked the entrance to the hospital preventing visitors from accessing the facility.

A nurse who craved anonymity because she is not authorized to speak formally said, ?Yesterday, a patient was brought into the hospital by a Good Samaritan and made some payments for his treatment before leaving.

?The patient could not make it alive and then subsequently the relatives came around and discovered his SIM card is missing.

?The relatives demanded that the nurses provide the missing card or details of the Good Samaritan before inviting the police to arrest three nurses who attended to the deceased patient,? she said.

The nurses subsequently trouped en masse to the Headquarters of the Cross River State Police a command to secure the release of their colleague.

The management of the UCTH has not formally reacted to the incident and how the fracas will affect service delivery in the medical facility.

Patients who came to access treatment in the hospital were shut out and the protesting nurses beat up a visitor who attempted to forcefully gain entrance into the hospital morgue to deposit the remains of his relative.

The State Police Command is presently attending to the protesting nurses and no statement has been made available. (Daily Sun)