The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Doctors

  • Doctors seek Ekiti hospital’s probe

    The Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Teaching Hospital (FETH) Ido-Ekiti, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the management of the  hospital.

    They cited instances of financial misappropriation which has threatened to cripple the hospital.

    In a communiqué issued at the end of an emergency meeting held on August 5, the Association also called on the Auditor-General of the Federation in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health to thoroughly look into the financial activities of the hospital.

    The resident doctors have been on an industrial action since June 9th 2015, after a three day warning strike after a 21-day ultimatum given to the management of the hospital and the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Dr. Lawrence Majekodunmi Ayodele.

    They  accused the  CMD of insensitivity to the plight of the workers and other matters including financial misappropriation. Some of the issues include:  Immediate implementation of skipping of CONMESS 2 for Doctors as approved by the Federal Government in a circular dated 19th of December, 2013, Ref. No: HCSF/EPO/EIR/63755/T1/195 and  clarified  by the Federal Ministry of Health in a circular dated 29th of July, 2015, Ref. No: C.2262/T/111; immediate implementation of the new entry point for House Officers with arrears from January 2015 as approved and clarified by the Federal Government in an explanatory note dated 29th July, 2015, Ref No: C.2262/T/109; immediate payment of backlog of updates, revision courses, research grants and examination refunds which are yet to be paid in the last 40 months; immediate payment of 2014 annual step increment to doctors and other health workers of the hospital; immediate payment of promotion arrears to doctors and health workers of the hospital.

    The other demands are: Immediate payment of relocation allowances to      doctors ; immediate payment of salaries of the newly employed doctors who are on IPPIS payment platform but are yet to be properly captured and immediate payment of complete salaries to Doctors on IPPIS and GIFMIS platforms who have been shortchanged.

    The association also wants the high cost of access to medical care at the hospital reviewed downwards to humane and community friendly levels while calling on stakeholders and other concerned citizens to prevail on the CMD so that normalcy and industrial harmony can return to the hospital.

     

  • Rivers Deputy governor Banigo to doctors: be compassionate

    Rivers Deputy Governor Ipalibo Banigo has urged medical practitioners to be more compassionate in discharging their duties.

    Banigo spoke on Wednesday when members of the Christian Medical and Dental Association (CMDA) association called on her in Port Harcourt.

    She called on the association to revive the ethics of their practice as medical doctors and Christians as Christ demonstrated in his encounter with the sick while on earth.

    “It’s is important we practice with love as believers in this profession to save lives,” she said.

    Banigo advised the group to bring healthcare closer to the rural dwellers through their medical outreach programmes.

    She commended the doctors for keeping the vision of the founding fathers of the association and urged them not to relent in their service to God and humanity.

    Banigo noted that the State Government was determined to provide quality and affordable healthcare service to the people.

    “The State Government will soon embark on the training and retraining of medical personnel to update their knowledge on current practices in the profession,” she said.

    Dr Friday Aaron, the State Chairman of CMDA, said that they had been on special medical mission to attend to medical, physical and spiritual needs of patients.

    Dr Chima Onoka, Chief Executive Officer of CMDA in Nigeria, said the association was currently providing succour to 1,500 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) through its manpower.

    Onoka called for financial assistance from the state government to touch more lives in the rural areas of the state.

  • Doctors: strike not targeted at Buhari

    Doctors: strike not targeted at Buhari

    Members of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti (FETHI) have said their five-week-old strike was not targeted at President Muhammadu Buhari but for the payment of their entitlements.

    A  statement yesterday by ARD President Otutoaja Uzoma and Secretary General Ekundayo Oladeji urged FETHI Chief Medical Director, Dr. Majekodunmi Ayodele, to pay all their outstanding  entitlements and see to the welfare of other health workers.

    They said: “For clarity sake, our association is neither against the populace, nor the Federal Government, which has done the needful but the CMD has thrown caution to the wind and has continually sabotaged governance by refusing to release these emoluments.

    “We are not unaware that the CMD has been singing the song of ‘no money’, ‘there is shortfall in the budget’, but we implore the world to ask the CMD the whereabouts of close to a billion naira yearly excess he has been raking in since he assumed office.

    “It should be noted that the association is neither drawing battle lines nor propagating the opinions of any individual or group.”

  • Doctors withdraw services at JUTH

    Resident doctors at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) have withdrawn their services, following the failure of the management to implement the agreements that border on their welfare.

    The doctors, who withdrew their services since June 8, insisted that they would not resume work until the management met their demands contained in the pending agreements.

    The Chairman of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), JUTH chapter, Dr. Joseph Nankat, said top on the list of their demands was the issue of skipping, a right the hospital management continued to deny the doctors.

    He said: “JUTH management’s refusal to comply with Federal Government’s directive for the ‘implementation of skipping for doctors’ is very key among our demands.”

    In the notice of strike by NARD dated June 8, issued by the Chairman, Joseph I. Nankat and Secretary, Kumtap Y. Cashmir, they noted that doctors in JUTH are being denied ‘skipping’ even when “non-doctors enjoy this privilege among others.”

    They said their members “are working under difficult conditions in JUTH because of lack of consumables, such as hand gloves and some emergency drugs, such as oxytocin.”

    NARD decried the non- payment of training allowances to resident doctors, shortage of house officers and under payment of the few available ones, saying these have led to many moving out of JUTH.

    Among their four-point demands are the resumption of “skipping “ payment, just as non-doctors have been benefiting as well as the provision of essential consumables in the hospital.

    “The management is owing us outstanding training allowances. It has failed to employ house officers and refused payment of their correct entitlements. We can’t work under such condition,” Dr. Nankat said.

  • Be change agents, provost tells new doctors

    Be change agents, provost tells new doctors

    The Provost, College of Medicine of the University of Lagos (CMUL), Prof Folasade Ogunsola, sent 83 new doctors and dentists into the world with the charge that they should solve problems in Nigeria’s crisis-ridden health sector.

    In her address at the induction of the 2014 medical and dental graduands of the college last Thursday, Prof Ogunsola reminded them that the task ahead was herculean.

    “Too many lives depend on you and that is an awesome responsibility” Ogunsola warned. “Health care in Nigeria is in crisis, so you must be a part of the solution and not the problem. That we have tried to teach you.”

    However, she expressed confidence in their abilities, congratulating them for enduring to the end of the six-year training.

    “I know that for you to get here today you are over comers. You are hardworking, persistent and there is a leader in every single one of you. There is in each and every one of you the ability to be change agents, to be builders of the positive because you are products of the best medical school in the country.

    “I can also see hope, curiosity and excitement, and know that you cannot wait to go and change for good the landscape of our health sector,” she added.

    She enjoined them to be builders of their alma mater, and think of what they can do to add value to it, so as to leave lasting legacies for those behind.

    The best graduating student, Dr Kingsley Ezegwu, who also clinched three awards and N500,000 cash prize shared his experience studying in the school.

    He said: “I feel very elated that a journey of six years plus is ending today and it is a thing of joy personally for me, my parents and other grandaunds.  I believe Medicine is quite a tough course as people say, but with God, hard work consistent reading, it is something one can pull through.

    “I am satisfied with the training. I believe this is the best training I can get in Nigeria,” Ezegwu added.

    Another graduand, Sandra Onwuekwe, sought increased funding for medical education.

    She said: “Well considering the situation of the country, I think they (lecturers) have actually done their best.  Although it is not really as qualitative as we want to get but at least it is the best in the circumstances. There will always be room for improvement.

    “I would like more money to be spent on medical education.  I would like students to have a more conducive academic environment where they can actually study. We want more scholarships for students, for those that are poor, but academically sound.”

  • Varsity inducts doctors

    No fewer than 50 graduates of Medicine and Surgery were inducted at the Abia State University (ABSU) in Uturu last Thursday by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).

    The event, held in the school auditorium, was attended by dignitaries.

    The inductees, who were in blue academic gowns, beamed with smiles as they led a procession into the auditorium, where their family members and friends were seated.

    The Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Chibuzo Ogbuagu, represented by his deputy, Prof Ifeanyi Elekwa, hailed the lecturers of the Faculty of Basic Health Sciences for nurturing the young doctors.

    He advised the inductees not to engage in practices that could tarnish the university’s image, stressing that the MDCN would be forced to withdraw license of anyone found compromising ethics of the profession.

    The Provost of the college, Prof Christian Aluka, praised the management for supporting the activities of the medical school.

    Advising the graduands, he said: “I congratulate you on the achievement. Society expects more from you in character and morality. Your induction today marks the beginning of your career in medical practice. I advise you to practice with the fear of God. You must put the welfare of your patients first and render skillful and competent service.”

    Aluka urged the graduands to keep themselves abreast of new development in medical practice, saying they should strive to update their knowledge and specialise in an area of medicine to be efficient practitioners.

    Prof Paul Feyi-Wabaso, Dean of Faculty of Clinical Medicine urged the inductees to dress properly. He taught the doctors some medical ethics.

    Highpoint of the event was the administration of the Hippocratic Oath on the inductees by the MDCN representative, Dr Oji Kalu Oji. Certificates of practice were also issued to the graduands.

    Gloria Nkechinyere Davidson receieved honours and award for being the best graduating student. Her sister, Dr Esther Nzotta, achieved the same feat in previous induction. Gloria attributed her success to God and hard work.

    She said: “I would not have achieved this feat if not for God and also my parents who supported me. Medicine and Surgery is very tough discipline, but I conquered it with hard work. I am grateful to have a sister, who achieved the same feat. Throughout my stay in medical school, she encouraged me.”

    An inductee, Chukwuma Okereke, said he was elated to be inducted as a doctor. He said: “The journey has not been easy, but God  helped me to surmount challenges I encountered in medical school.”

  • Doctors hail ‘spectacular’ step towards cancer cure

    Many terminally ill cancer sufferers will be “cured” of the disease by a groundbreaking class of drugs described last night as heralding a new era in treatment.

    A British trial brought “spectacular” results, with tumours shrinking or disappearing completely in half of inoperable skin cancer patients.

    The findings came as a series of studies showed that the drugs, which use the body’s defences to combat the disease, were effective against some of the most deadly tumours, including those of the lung, bowel, liver and head.

    Experts gathered in Chicago at the world’s largest cancer conference said that the method was likely to become a once-in-a-generation advance, to rank with chemotherapy and surgery as one of the “pillars of oncology”.

    Patients given months to live might survive to enjoy a normal lifespan thanks to the breakthrough. Some will have their tumours vanish completely while others will have their tumours shrink in size and be controlled.

    The drugs are administered through a drip every few weeks and are generally less debilitating than chemotherapy. They do have side-effects, including inflammation, eczema, tiredness and liver problems.

    Peter Johnson, the chief clinician at Cancer Research UK, said: “The evidence emerging from clinical trials suggests that we are at the beginning of a whole new era for cancer treatments.”

    He said that about half of the people treated in the trials seemed to have responded well, adding: “We are hoping that in many cases these effects will be maintained in the long term, possibly leading to cures for some … this looks like the next big step forward for cancer treatment.”

    Cancers grow because they evade detection by the immune system. The latest class of drugs aims to strip away those disguises and alert the body’s natural defences to the danger.

    The first such treatment, ipilimumab, was approved for routine use four years ago, and although some patients survive into the long term, only a fifth of those given the drug show any benefit.

    At the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, British researchers said that tumours shrank dramatically in 58 per cent of patients when ipilimumab was combined with a new immunotherapy drug, compared with a 19 per cent success rate for those given the single drug.

    James Larkin, of the Royal Marsden Hospital, London, who led the trial of 945 patients, said that he was “excited, pleased and optimistic because we have got a response rate of over 50 per cent, which has never been seen before”. The results raised hope that “half of advanced melanoma patients could be living disease-free”, he added.

     

  • Ekiti doctors suspend strike

    Ekiti doctors suspend strike

    The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Ekiti State has suspended its “no-work protest” embarked upon, following the kidnap and threats to its members.

    Eleven persons, including health workers, kidnapped in various parts of the state were released on Saturday.

    Among those kidnapped were the former Chief Medical Director of the State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti, Dr Patrick Adegun, his wife, Kikelomo , a nurse working with the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, Mrs. Margaret Aladenika and two other nurses, whose identities were not disclosed.

    The NMA, in a letter to Governor Ayo Fayose, said the industrial action was suspended, following the release of the victims and improvement of security.

    The doctors called on the government to sustain security of lives and property and propagate laws to punish kidnappers.

    A letter, dated May 25, signed by NMA Chairman, Dr. John Akinbote, said the suspension is with immediate effect.

    “Sequel to the resolutions of the emergency general meeting of our noble association, we hereby notify you of our decision to suspend the ongoing no-work protest.

    “We are using this avenue to request for improvement and sustenance of security measures in place,” the statement  said.

     

  • 14 doctors on trial for medical misconduct

    FOURTEEN medical doctors are expected to appear before the Medical and Dental Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal for various offences ranging from improper conduct and negligence of duty.

    The tribunal, which started a four-day sitting yesterday, has the status of a High Court. Its judgment can only be appealed before the Court of Appeal.

    The medical doctor to the ailing Governor Danbaba Suntai is one of those to be arraigned at the sixth sitting of the tribunal.

    Dr. Zakari Aliyu, who was also the Chief Medical Director of Taraba State Specialist Hospital, is undergoing trial at the tribunal.

    Dr. Aliyu is facing one count-charge of divulging information regarding the health record of Suntai, which was published by media houses.

    According to the charge sheet, the doctor’s conduct was “contrary to Rule 44 of the Code of Medical Ethics, 2008 edition and punishable under Section 16(1) (a) and (2) of the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act, Cap. M8 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.”

    Dr. Aliyu, who was absent at the first sitting, in his letter to the tribunal requested that his matter be shifted to a later date.

    He has since relocated to the United State (U.S.).

    Others doctors to appear before the tribunal are Fibian Osuji, Freeman Miri, Sunday Elusoji, Iyiola Joseph, Obafemi Kuye, Mukaila Oyewunmi, Erinfolarin Adebayo, Bolanle Adeyemi Ola, Rasaq Akintunde Akindele and Olaide Festus Bolaji. These doctors will be appearing before the tribunal for the first time.

    But Amos Essien, Asemota Omoruyi Orhi, David Udoh and Adolphus Oraifo have ongoing trials before the tribunal.

    The tribunal chairman, Prof. Jonathan Azubuike, in his opening remark, said the panel would ensure quick dispensation of justice.

    He stressed that “a lot of water has passed under the bridge, and we have been struggling to ensure that cases get judgment.”

    Prof. Azubuike requested that doctors standing trials appear in person.

    Most prosecuting counsel were not on ground at the beginning of hearing, which necessitated the adjournment of some cases till tomorrow.

    One of the doctors, Elusoji, was said to be writing an examination in Lagos, thereby necessitating the adjournment of his trial till tomorrow.

     

  • Doctors start warning strike

    Doctors start warning strike

    Resident doctors at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) have begun a five-day warning strike.

    The president of the hospital’s resident doctors association, Dr Owen Omorogbe, told reporters at the weekend in Benin, the state capital, that the strike was over the doctors’ welfare.

    Owen said the doctors wanted an end to unpaid entitlements, casualisation of medical officers and poor job description for interns.

    He also said the strike was to pressurise the hospital’s management to implement the new salary grade level approved for House officers.

    The hospital’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mrs. Kehinde Ibitoye said medical consultants had been directed to offer medical services pending the resolution of the matter.

    She said: “The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital was not around when the doctors embarked on the strike.

    “The CMD will be around on May 11, and he will have a meeting with the association.”

    The warning strike started on May 7.