The Nation Newspaper

Tag: doctors’ strike

  • Doctors begin strike

    The medical workers on Wednesday went ahead with their planned industrial action despite pleas by the Federal Government and well meaning Nigerians.

    Medical and dental practitioners under the umbrella body of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) Tuesday announced that the strike will go on as planned due to government inability to resolve the lingering issues between them.

    Consequently, activities at most hospitals have been crippled with many patients left stranded as doctors began an indefinite strike.

    Doctors at the National Hospital, Abuja, were among the earliest to embark on the strike. Patients who had gone to the hospital for medical attention were left unattended to as they were told bluntly that doctors were on strike.

    But it would be too early to say the level of success of the strike as some doctors are still rendering services.

    In one of the hospitals visited, doctors were seen attending to patients, though they acknowledged the fact that the strike action is on.

    A doctor who responded to questions on condition of anonymity, said:”Yes, the strike by our umbrella body has started, but we here are working.

    “We are tired with the issue of these frequent strike action. As I am talking to you now, many patients will die today due to lack of attention. We have been trained to save the lives of these patients. Their blood will be on our head if we fail to save them because of our disagreement with the government.

    “I suggest that the NMA executives should start negotiating with the government while we continue to render our services. They should not compare our work with that of ASUU. ASUU can put modalities in place to cover their scheme of work, but in our case, once a life is lost, we cannot bring it back.

    “I totally disagree with this frequent strike by doctors. Many of my colleagues are not in support of this endless strike, but because of fear of being tagged ‘a rebel’ by the NMA, they just sit at home. If you check very well some doctors today will join some of our colleagues in the private sector to assist them treat patient. As I am talking to you, I am weeping inside me.”

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, had at the weekend insisted that there is certainly no need for another strike in the health sector.

    The minister appealed to NMA to shelve their planned strike action, so as not to bring another hardship to Nigerians, particularly in this festive season.

     

     

  • Patients groan as doctors’ strike continues

    The nationwide strike of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) is biting hard on patients. Though consultants and house officers are working nationally, the pace of medical services is slow.

    Mrs. Omolola Osinubi brought her seven-month old child to the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Unit of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) for examination, but she was left unattended. She wept uncontrollably as she decided to go to a private hospital.

    A 23-year-old cancer patient, Chukwu Obina, who could not see his doctor because of the strike, said: “I do not understand what the problem is. The government does not seem to care about the welfare of citizens. I am here because I was given an appointment for today (yesterday). I did not know the strike would affect me; I would have stayed back and explored other options. I have wasted precious time and money and I am in pains. I do not know when the strike will end. My condition can be described in stages and can worsen with time. I do not understand all these at all.”

    At the E2 Ward, patients laid on their beds dejectedly. An accident victim with a broken leg, Mr. Kunle Olayiwola (not real names), said his second orthopaedic surgery was being delayed because of the strike.

    At the A&E Unit, cases were being attended to at snail speed. At the Olikoye Ransome-Kuti Children’s Ward, mothers wore long faces and relations were apprehensive.

    LUTH spokeswoman Mrs. Hope Nwawolo said: “The issue at hand is not a local problem. It will be resolved soon. We are attending to patients and have priority cases, so that we do not overwhelm our workers.”

    Nurses and other health workers went about their duties at LUTH; the Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Yaba and its annex in Oshodi; National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), but they were only attending to in-patients. New cases were not admitted except emergencies.

    At Igbobi, patients on admission, who could not pay their bills, were either referred to other hospitals or discharged. An official said: “We tell them we need to fumigate the ward over the weekend, so that we can decongest the place. The strike is tasking our persons and facilities.”

    At the Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, consultants attended to patients with the help of workers at the Records Department. There was a long queue of patients at the waiting lounge. An official of the hospital, who spoke anonymously, said: “We have a long queue because there is no way to determine the main concern cases. Mental health is not a condition one can judge at face value, without going through the evaluation process. Unlike diseases or other illnesses, mental health must be dealt with brazenly based on scientific assessment.”

    At its Oshodi annex, patients on admission were attended to.

    At LASUTH, resident doctors attended to victims of last Thursday’s plane crash. A doctor, who did not want to be named, said: “We halted the strike because of the emergency at hand. We cannot call off the strike unless directed to do so by the national body.”

    LASUTH NARD’S President Oluwajimi Sodipo said: “There was a national directive to carry on with the strike, but because of the Associated Airline’s crash and other emergencies, we shelved the strike. But we have to comply with our national body.”

    President of NARD in LUTH Emeka Ugwu said: “There is no going back on the strike until issues are resolved in the interest of our members nationwide. Doctors are human. When we work and do not get paid, it becomes difficult to pay our bills and our moral will be low. There is no way we can work well in an environment that is not motivating.”

    He urged the Federal Government to look into their demands.