Health workers’ strike paralyzes teaching hospitals, hits patients
Wards and clinics in tertiary hospitals across the country are emptying by the day, leaving a feeling of desolation as various medical workers down tools to protest poor payment or disparities in payment within the system. At the moment, most tertiary hospitals either have resident doctors on strike or nurses and auxiliary health workers following […]
Wards and clinics in tertiary hospitals across the country are emptying by the day, leaving a feeling of desolation as various medical workers down tools to protest poor payment or disparities in payment within the system. At the moment, most tertiary hospitals either have resident doctors on strike or nurses and auxiliary health workers following suit.
When Weekly Trust visited Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), the environment was deserted with skeletal services being offered. Only patients on dialysis, emergency and special cases were attended to by the doctors. On the whole, there were only six patients on admission at the hospital while all others were discharged or referred to other hospitals.
The doctors around complained of workload as well as limitations working in absence of other health practitioners. Dr Jibrin Abdullahi is the Vice President, AKTH chapter of the Association of Resident Doctors. He said the teamwork in the hospital has been paralyzed since other health practitioners embarked upon the strike action. “Everyone must shoulder his responsibility if work must move smoothly, now that other members of the team including nurses, pharmacists, lab scientists and other staff are not working. We are not able to offer efficient services, therefore we only offer basic out-patient care, see patients that are stable, those we can simply prescribe drugs for and they go home. We don’t admit any body because there are no nurses to take care of them.”
Abdullahi added: “It is basically the private hospitals in town that provide the services. So you can see that the health sector is in a mess.” On how many patients each doctors attend to on daily basis, he said: “I have seen over 15 patients today and we are six in the gynecology ward so if everyone of us attends to the same number, we cater for about 100 patients with minor problems. Even if serious cases are brought, we are helpless.”
He advised that government and health practitioners resolve the issue so as to save peoples’ lives saying, resident doctors might also embark upon strike if their needs are not met. “I’m afraid the whole system may collapse if nothing is done because resident doctors might also go on strike in March,” he said.
Another doctor, Bitrus Adetoro of the surgical ward of the hospital also spoke expressing how hectic caring for patients without the assistance of other health professionals has been. He said: “It has not been easy for us, but we cannot admit more at the moment, no matter how serious. In extreme cases, emergency patients are admitted but not for more than 48 hours at the accident and emergency unit of the hospital.”
The few patients being attended to also expressed their feelings over the situation. Malam Ibrahim Datti Gwarzo was seen on his dialysis machine. He pleaded with government to address the issue so that patients will be fully attended to. Another patient, Faruk Hassan, also expressed concern over the situation. He said, “It is sad that despite the fact that the lives of many are threatened, the government seems not to care about its citizens.” In a bid to resolve the impasse, the management of the hospital has called for a meeting with union members to see if an internal agreement could be reached so the striking staff could return to work.
It is a similar kind of intervention that has helped to keep health workers at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) from going on strike. Also most of the patients spoken to at the hospital said they were not aware of any strike as they are attended to by doctors and other health workers.
But it was a different situation at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Idi-Araba. When Weekly Trust visited LUTH, only medical doctors reported for work as all other health workers, including nurses and pharmacists, refused to work, leaving patients helpless. The Out- Patient Department was shut.
The health workers under the aegis of Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations and Unions (AHPAU) started the nationwide strike to protest the alleged withdrawal of their teaching allowance and discrepancies in the Consolidated Health Workers Salary Structure (CONHESS).
AHPAU comprises of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI), the Nigerian Union of Pharmacists, Medical Technologists and Professions Allied to Medicine (NUPMTPAM); and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU).
President of the union in LUTH Comrade Johnson Adetokumbo Shaba sees the doctors as the architects behind government’s reneging of the earlier agreement reached between the unions and the government. He accused the Chief Medical Directors of all Federal Medical Centers and other heads of federal health establishments for poisoning the mind of the minister. “When the minister came, he was doing fine. We were being paid. But some doctors went to derail him. But I want all the doctors to know that we are as important as they are in the health system. It was their decision to study medicine and it is my decision to be a nurse, midwife or pharmacists. It does not in any way suggest am inferior to them,” he noted.
He said: “We are on strike, the doctors are not on strike, why are the hospitals shut? Let the doctors do the job since they say they are better. We will not resume duty unless our monies are paid.”
When Weekly Trust visited the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ebutte-Metta, the entire premises was under lock and key as not even doctors came to work. The Federal Medical Centre (FMC) for now has no resident doctors.
But the situation was different at the Federal Neuropsychiatry Hospital, Yaba, where the strike hasn’t commenced. Comrade Charles Omoluru Secretary, Forum of Federal Health Institutions, Nurses and Midwives Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, explained why they didn’t join the strike action. “We are on duty. There is no strike here for now despite the fact that some other sister institutions are on strike.” Another source said even the Psychiatric Hospital will join because the minister has ordered that payment be stopped by the end of January.
In Abuja, a visit to National Hospital did not give any evidence that they were on strike or had the intention of joining the strike. A senior health worker in the hospital said they are working and would not join the strike as in instances like this when teaching hospitals are on strike, the National Hospital is sort of a last resort to patients in need of medical attention. He said joining the strike will only worsen the situation.
But a visit to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada revealed the heavy impact of the strike action on the hospital’s activities as patients are not being admitted. The hospital premises look less busy, with traffic of patients drastically reduced and most of the sections in the hospital where patients usually gather to receive medical attention, deserted.
Dr.Peter Alabi, the hospital’s Chief Medical Director told Weekly Trust that the system is being affected by the strike but it has not stopped the management from strategizing in order to render services. He said: “By next week, the strike would be three weeks old. We have been able to carry out some skeletal services, especially as regards treatment of in-patients. We have been able to keep the patients on admission. The consultants have been working round the clock to make sure they are fit before being discharged. The clinics are running regardless of the obvious challenge, the consultants are running the clinics. The house officers are assisting them. By the end of this week we might be able to start admitting patients on emergency.”
The CMD confirmed that resident doctors in most teaching hospitals have the numerical strength to hamper services if they go on strike. “As a consultant, you cannot just go and operate on a patient alone. You’d definitely need their expertise.” But as the strikes go on, patients are the ones feeling the bite.