Skeletal Services Rendered In Lagos As NMA Continues Strike

As the Nigerian Medical Association
remains resolute on its strike, health workers in
some government-owned hospitals in Lagos
State on Friday rendered skeletal services.
The media reports that nurses, laboratory
scientists, pharmacists and some other
categories of workers were seen going about
their duties.
The hospitals visited include the Lagos State
University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja,
Surulere General Hospital, Lagos University
Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba, and the
Federal Neuro-Psychiatry Hospital, Yaba.
The other hospitals are the National
Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, and the Federal
Medical Centre (FMC), Ebute Meta.
Correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria
(NAN) who visited some the hospitals report
that the strike paralysed healthcare services as
only few patients were seen in the various
wards.
NAN check at Igbobi showed that only few
patients were at the out-patients department
and accident and emergency department of the
hospital.
Nurses and pharmacists were attending to the
few patients still in the hospital.
A senior officer at the hospital, who pleaded
anonymity, told NAN that the hospital had not
been admitting new patients.
The source said that consultants had not been
attending to patients.
“Only few consultants had been coming, and
they have not really been attending to patients.”
“Some consultants have not even been working
since they opted out of the strike,” he said.
A patient on admission at the hospital, Amaka
Umeh, said that no doctor had come to check
her since the strike commenced.
“Nurses have been attending to us, but they
have their limit.”
“They will always tell us that a doctor will
come, but I have not seen any of them,” she
said.
Umeh appealed to the Federal Government to
meet the demands of the doctors to enable
them to resume work and alleviate sufferings of
patients.
Another patient at the out-patients department,
Collins Osamena, claimed that Nigerian doctors
lacked sympathy for patients.
“It is not fair that our doctors can decide to go
on strike almost all the time without
considering the health status of patients.”
“I am hoping that the government will find a
way to resolve this strike in the health sector
for the sake of patients.”
At the FMC, the situation was different as the
Medical Director, Dr Yewande Jinadu, and three
other doctors were on ground attending to the
patients.
Some patients were seen receiving treatment at
the out-patients department of the hospital.
Henry Etim, the Head of Corporate Affairs of the
institution, said, “We are doing everything within
our powers to see that our patients’ lives are
not in danger as a result of the strike.”
At the neuro-psychiatric hospital, the Medical
director, Dr Lawal Ramaan, said that he had
been attending to the patients in critical
conditions, with the assistance of some other
senior management staff.
Ramaan said: “Skeletal works are going on; we
are trying to run the clinic and also attend to
the patients on admission.”
“At the emergency unit, we are also attending
to those that have very bad cases, while those
who we feel can go home are being
discharged.”
Also, Dr Omotayo Ojo, a Consultant
Neurosurgeon at LUTH, told NAN that skeletal
services were being rendered by consultants
and some other health workers.
A resident doctor at LASUTH, Dr Oluwajimi
Shodipo, said that patients with emergency
cases were being attended to by nurses and
other health workers, while clinics were closed.
The NMA Publicity Secretary in Lagos, Dr Peter
Ogunnubi, said, “Consultants are affiliates of
NMA and have a right to decide to join NMA in
the strike.
“NMA comprises all doctors in Nigeria with each
belonging to other bodies such as the
Association of Resident Doctors,” he said.
The National President, Medical and Dental
Consultants’ Association of Nigeria, Dr Steven
Oluwole, had in a statement on July 6 urged his
members nationwide to ignore the ongoing
strike by NMA.
Oluwole assured Nigerians of the association’s
commitment to uninterrupted and high quality
healthcare services in all public hospitals.
NAN reports that the NMA members had on
July 1 began an indefinite nationwide strike in
protest of Federal Government’s non-
implementation of some agreements it had with
the union.
Other demands include immediate appointment
of a Surgeon-General of the Federation and
increase of hazard allowance to N100, 000
monthly.
The doctors are also demanding reservation of
the position of the chief medical director for
medical doctors only.