Patients Suffer as Nigerian Resident Doctors Strike | See Details
Patients in tertiary hospitals and their relatives are in agony and pains as the industrial action embarked upon by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) enters its third day.
Three days ago there was a directive from the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to its members asking them to embark on a total strike, which commenced the following day.
A visit to most of the hospitals showed that the doctors have completely withdrawn services in compliance with the indefinite nationwide strike declared by the national leadership of the union.
PREMIUM TIMES observed that skeletal services and palliative measures put in place by most hospitals have proved inadequate and unable to cushion the agony of patients.
However, the union has blamed the failure of the Federal Government to meet their demands for the strike, which include immediate enrollment under the integrated payroll and personal information system.
At the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, Lagos, a patient, who gave her name as Patience, said she had waited endlessly to be attended to. According to her only the nurses attended to her.
“Only the nurses came to look after us, the doctors that came were few and their ward round didn’t cover all of us. There are a lot of people with critical cases and if they are not attended to, they may die,” she wailed.
Mr. Thomas Agun who was admitted for heart and kidney related diseases said he was billed to undergo another round of tests in the next two days after which he be re-examined by his doctor. He said that might not be impossible, except the doctors call off their strike immediately.
At the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State, relatives of patients have started moving them to private hospitals. Although nurses and other health workers are working, it was learnt that critical cases that needed doctors’ attention were not being attended to.
Although doctors at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Lagos joined the strike since Monday, the Chief Medical Director, said management would not discharge patients in the wards or turn back outpatients.
He called on doctors to explore alternative ways of pressing for their demands other than strike. According to him if one live is lost during the exercise it can not be restored back to life.
“One life lost during a industrial action cannot be regained when the strike action is over,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), LUTH, Dr. Olufemi Fasanmade, in a statement yesterday, assured that adequate arrangements have been made to ensure continuity of services.
“Our patients shall continue to receive services from staff and we have medical services in place to ensure no patient suffers. We are hopeful that ongoing negotiations will be amicable and lead to a speedy resolution.”
It was gathered that many patients were relocated from the various wards to private hospitals owned by some of the striking doctors. It was also learnt that National Youths Service corps (NYSC) members serving who are medical doctors were attending to patients.
Efforts by striking doctors to stop them were foiled by the hospital management. We plead with the government to serve the Doctors what they need and attend to their pay rolls.
The pioneer president of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) noted that the nation was already battling with the strike embarked on by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), saying that NARD’s action was an added hardship on the already hard put Nigerians.
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This wicked country, they actually know what this act is going to cause but I guess they don’t bloody care.
I do not expect anything more from a country whose president seeks medical care abroad. This country is a huge joke.
Hmmmmnn.Dats what happens wen u have a half send president