Doctors’ strike: FG releases N4.5bn to hospitals as patients groan

The Federal Government has released N4.5 billion to 31 teaching and special hospitals across the country, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, disclosed this in Abuja yesterday. The disclosure came amidst the strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) which has crippled activities in public hospitals across the country, leaving […]

The Federal Government has released N4.5 billion to 31 teaching and special hospitals across the country, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, disclosed this in Abuja yesterday.

The disclosure came amidst the strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) which has crippled activities in public hospitals across the country, leaving patients to their fate.

NARD commenced a nationwide indefinite strike on Monday, June 15 following the federal government’s inability to meet its demands after a 14 –day ultimatum.

Patients had lamented that the absence of doctors to attend to them was gravely affecting  them and their relatives.

But speaking at the Presidential Villa in Abuja after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari on the ongoing strike by resident doctors, Ngige told State House correspondents in the company of the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, and the Minister of State, Labour, Festus Keyamo, that the payment was for the arrears of April and May hazard and inducement allowances.

He said the allowances for June would also be paid.

He said: “Just this morning, before we went to see Mr. President, the Ministry of Finance reported that as at this morning, 3am, they had paid the allowances for hazard and inducement to 31 teaching hospitals and Federal Medical Centres and special hospitals of the federal government service and they have expended close to N4.5 billion in the payment because we are paying them the arrears of April and May. The payment for June will also be done immediately these ones are sorted out.

“Again, it’s important to report to you that in consonance with what he’s saying, we have arranged a meeting for them to speak to the Nigerian Governors’ Forum because you don’t mix apples and oranges. The issue of health is on the concurrent list, so the federal government will do its own and the state government will be expected to do their own. Some of their grievances border on what they feel the state governments have not done.”

Dr Ehanire expressed the hope that a solution to the current industrial dispute would be found as citizens would not like the strike to be longer than necessary.

He appealed to the striking doctors to return to work to save lives, particularly in view of the ongoing battle against COVID-19 and other diseases.

Patients groan under strike

Our correspondents who visited hospitals observed that patients were left stranded in many hospitals, while skeletal services were observed in some hospitals.

Checks at some hospitals revealed that patients were being turned away because there were no doctors to attend to them while many departments that were usually filled with patients were empty during the week.

Our reporter observed during visits to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) and Bayelsa Specialist Hospital, all in Yenagoa that patients were only attended to by nurses and other medical staff, while resident doctors were not at their duty posts. Consulting rooms and doctors’ offices were closed with patients hanging around.

A patient, Mr. Idara Udoma, who spoke to Daily Trust Saturday, said he brought his ailing mother to the hospital but on getting to the FMC, he discovered that the doctors had commenced the strike and he had no choice than to move her to a private clinic.

“The strike is not conducive with the health situation we are experiencing now in the whole world, if there is an emergency now, the lives of the people are at stake. Let the concerned authorities negotiate with them to solve the issue promptly, Nigerians need them most now,” he said.

A patient at the Bayelsa Specialist Hospital who requested not to be named, said he was an enrollee of the Health Insurance Scheme for civil servants but no doctor attended to him when he went there.

He said he did not have money for treatment at a private hospital, and prayed the strike is  called off soon.

Daily Trust Saturday findings showed that patients in Kwara State were not attended to at the various state hospitals.  Families of patients complained that their sick relations were left unattended to at the Sobi Specialist Hospital, Ilorin General Hospital, Cottage Hospital Olorunshogo, Cottage Civil Service Clinic, Okelele Hospital, Oloje Cottage Hospital, Danialu-Gaa Akanbi Cottage Hospital, Kulende Cottage Hospital and Ilorin Cottage Hospital Centre Igboro.

A relation of one of the patients at the Cottage Civil Service Clinic at Ilofa Road, GRA, Ilorin, Akanbi Oloola, said, “Nobody told us anything about the strike, they just left my uncle here. He has not been attended to since morning.”

He said when he went to complain to a nurse who only wrote some drugs for him to get for his ailing uncle.

At the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), our correspondent said despite the strike, patients were still trooping in for treatment.

Abdullahi Ashiru, a patient’s guardian, told Daily Trust Saturday that doctors had earlier informed them that many patients would be discharged due to the strike.

“A significant number of patients in our wards have been discharged. Though my ward has recovered, I think, the discharge may not unconnected to the strike action,” he said.

Many patients at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) as well as the state General Hospital were evacuated to private hospitals due to the strike.

They said they were taken unawares on Monday when all the resident doctors kept off duty.

A patient, Sampson Akpan, who had a leg surgery last week, lamented that his surgeons were to see him but didn’t show up due to the strike. He said he did not know when the strike would be called off and doubted that the nurses could play doctors’ roles effectively.

At the Accident and Emergency Ward, new patients were continuously turned back as doctors were not available to attend to the critical cases.

At the maternity wards, expectant mothers and newly delivered mothers were seen in a depressed mood.

Madam Angelina Victor who put to bed two days earlier said she may have to discharge herself since doctors were on strike anymore.

However, a few of those described as ‘student doctors’ could be seen attending to some patients.

In Bauchi, patients were turned back at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital (ATBU-TH). A patient who pleaded anonymity said he couldn’t access treatment for his ailment when he visited the hospital.

However, in Edo state, government hospitals were still in full operation as our reporter who visited the State Central Hospital in Benin observed patients being attended to by doctors.

A patient, Christy Osamuwa, who spoke to our correspondent, said she was treated for malaria.

“I came to the hospital and a doctor attended to me, she said.”

Another patient who gave his name Osasuwa, said he was not aware of any strike action as he was attended to by a doctor at the hospital.

A medical officer at the hospital said patients that came to the hospital were attended to because doctors were at their duty posts.

In Abuja, the nation’s capital, despite the strike some resident doctors said they were still working. Observations by our reporter in some of the hospitals revealed that patients were still being attended to.

Our reporter observed that services were still on at the Wuse District Hospital where patients waited patiently to be attended to.

A patient carrying her x-ray report told our reporter that doctors were attending to people and that she was waiting for her turn.

A medical doctor at the dental clinic of the hospital said resident doctors were attending to patients there.

At Kuje District  Hospital, a resident doctor  seen working said the hospital was affected by the strike but they were not participating.

Patients who were admitted in teaching hospitals in Lagos State were badly affected by the strike.

At the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), a resident doctor who pleaded anonymity, said admitted patients would be discharged and that no new patient would be admitted.

He also noted that resident doctors do most of the work and so patients would be affected even though consultants and house officers would be around during the strike.

A consultant in LASUTH, Dr Ibrahim, told Daily Trust Saturday that most of the consultants were asked to stay at home due to their age and their susceptibility to COVID-19.

However, a consultant at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Dr Adeyemi Okunowo, said consultants were not on strike, adding, “but the greatest manpower is the resident doctors. With the strike, there will be some disruptions.”

In Ekiti State, skeletal services were ongoing in government hospitals across the state.

Findings by our reporter in Nasarawa  State showed that hospitals were empty due to the strike.

A security personnel at the hospital said they were instructed to deny access to non-medical staff or health personnel.

However, at the Federal Medical Center, (FMC), Keffi it was observed that skeletal services were being offered to patients.

In Kano, the president, Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital’s chapter, Dr Usman Nagoma, confirmed that they had joined the strike, but added that patients in medical wards would be taken care of by consultants. There were no signs of the strike at the Damaturu Specialist Hospital, Damaturu. A patient’s relative, Khalil Aliyu, said his ailing relation who suffered from peptic ulcer was being attended to.

Another source said his relative was receiving attention at the accident and emergency unit in the hospital. A health worker in the hospital told our correspondent that he had no knowledge of the strike.

With additional reports by Olayemi John Mensah (Abuja),  Bassey Willie (Yenagoa) Ismail Adebayo (Ilorin) Ado Abubakar Musa (Jos ) Eyo Charles (Calabar) Usman A. Bello ( Benin) Ibraheem Hamza Muhammad (Lafia) Risikat Ramoni (Lagos) Raphael Ogbonnaiye (Ado-Ekiti)  Ibrahim Baba Saleh ( Damaturu) Hassan Ibrahim, (Bauchi) Richard P. Ngbokai ( Kano) and Ibrahim Baba Saleh, (Damaturu)