Patients Suffer As Doctors’ Strike Bites Harder

As the nationwide warning strike by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) enters its second day, the situation at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Choba near Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, yesterday, looked desperate as patients were locked out of the clinics and labour wards, with no Doctors available to attend to them.
Some of the patients at the hospital, who spoke with The Tide yesterday, stated that they were confused on what to do, and complained that the strikes in the health sector in Nigeria were too frequent for comfort.
They appealed to the government to accede to the demands of the resident doctors while charging the doctors to be reminded that their job was a humanitarian one.
Meanwhile, the President, NARD, UPTH Chapter, Dr Prince Dan-Jumbo, has stated that the strike action, which commenced Monday, will terminate tomorrow at 8am.
Dan-Jumbo said that the reasons for the strike action bordered on lack of funding and policy framework for training of resident doctors, and general poor funding of the health sector.
He said that the doctors were also in solidarity with their colleagues at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri, whom he said, the Medical Director of the centre, Dr Uwakwem, had held onto their December, 2013 to February, 2014, salaries without any convincing reason.
According Dan-Jumbo, since 2013, most doctors had been receiving only 90 per cent of their salaries in addition to late payment of salaries and allowances, which he said, could no longer be condoned.
He added that at the expiration of the three-day warning strike, if nothing tangible is done, they would have no other option than to embark on an indefinite strike by July 1, 2014.
Dan-Jumbo observed that the patients had been handed over to the consultants, saying that the patients were owned by the consultants by virtue of the fact that the hospital is an extension of the University of Port Harcourt.
Elsewhere, pregnant women, children, the aged and patients seeking care in public hospitals are bearing the brunt of the three-day warning strike by the resident doctors.
In Lagos, the strike took most patients unawares as they arrived early to keep appointments at various clinics, as only skeletal services were available.
Activities at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi-Araba; Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba; National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi were severely hampered as most of the outpatient clinics, though open, were almost deserted as little or no activity was going on.
At the LUTH yesterday, the Accident and Emergency ward was shut, and new patients were turned back. The Ante-Natal Clinic and Children Out Patient Department were also bereft of activity as there were no doctors attending to patients.
At the Ear, Nose and Throat, ENT, department, few patients on appointment were seen being attended to by a consultant.
Several pregnant women waiting at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology departments of LUTH said none of them had been attended to.
A similar scenario was on at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, where only senior medical consultants, nurses, ward aides and other auxiliary staff were seen attending to patients in the wards and the Accident and Emergency unit of the hospital.
The outpatient clinics were open but devoid of the usual activities.
A hospital source disclosed that contingency measures were in place to cushion the effects of the strike.
At the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, dozens of patients booked for appointment, left the hospital premises in annoyance after waiting for long hours without getting attention, while a few patients were observed sleeping in the waiting room.
Some of the patients said they had no choice than to wait until they were attended to.
Speaking to newsmen, President, NARD, LUTH, Dr. Omojowolo Olubunmi, who disclosed that the industrial action at LUTH was in line with the NARD’s three-day warning strike, also explained that the strike at LUTH was indefinite.
He said: “It is just coincidence that our strike coincided with the three-day warning strike called by our national body, but the strike in LUTH is indefinite and we have decided not to back down until our demands from management of LUTH are met. “
But LUTH’s Chief Medical Director, Professor Akin Osibogun, said that the hospital was still open to public.
Osibogun, who stated that the strike was not in the interest of the patients, defended the management’s stand on some of the outstanding issues with ARD, urged the warring parties to exercise patience.
President of NARD, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, Dr. Akindele Akinta-yo, said the doctors can only attend to emergency cases.
On his part, President, ARD-Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Dr. Olusegun Akinwotu affirmed that if their demand is not met, there is tendency of embarking on an indefinite strike come July 1, as earlier directed by their national body.
At the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa States, services were grounded as doctors stayed away from their duty posts.
Also taking part in the strike were members of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), at the FMC, Yenagoa, over non-payment of promotion arrears.
Chairman, FMC, Yenagoa chapter of NARD, Dr. Ugoeze Asinobi, said members of the association complied with the directive of their national body.
However, an executive member of JOHESU, Mr. Simon Barnabas, said the unions were compelled to embark on a warning strike over non-payment of promotion arrears.
In Benin, the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), complied with the warning strike, unlike their counterparts at the Benin Central Hospital, who shunned the action.
President of the Association of Resident Doctors, UBTH branch, Dr. Goodluck Imoudu, said the warning strike achieved 100 per cent success.
But, in sharp contrast, normal services were maintained at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu; National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu (NOHE), and the Enugu State Teaching Hospital, Park Lane, as doctors ignored the call to embark on strike.
Tonye Nria-Dappa, with agency reports