Patients, relatives desert govt hospitals in Katsina

When our correspondent visited the state general hospital, only a few Red Cross officials were seen at the emergency unit as virtually all the wards were empty.Some of the relatives of the sick, who were seen trying to relocate loved ones, said they could no longer bear the situation as they must seek alternatives.Sani Isyaku, […]

When our correspondent visited the state general hospital, only a few Red Cross officials were seen at the emergency unit as virtually all the wards were empty.
Some of the relatives of the sick, who were seen trying to relocate loved ones, said they could no longer bear the situation as they must seek alternatives.
Sani Isyaku, who brought his sick father from Batsari to the general hospital for better care, said there had been none to attend to him, noting that the poor were  always on the receiving end when such strikes happen, since the rich don’t patronise public health units.
One Sa’adatu Batagarawa said, “Some doctors do come in for skeletal services but nurses to administer day-to-day care are nowhere to be seen,” and called on hospital staff to see their services as a humanitarian one and return to work for the sake of the poor.
Meanwhile, private hospitals are making brisk business following the strike.
Daily Trust gathered that private clinics charge as much as N100,000 for  caesarian section, which ought to have been free or done for a token if the government hospitals were functional.
When contacted, the state Commissioner for Health, Mannir Talba, said government was doing its best to make the state arm of the union see reasons why they shouldn’t have been on strike as all their demands are adequately taken care of.
Last week, the union said the No-Work-No-Pay measure adopted by Katsina State government would not stop it, and vowed to continue the strike despite their salaries being withheld in attempts to break the strike.
The union said it would maintain skeletal services in emergency, dialysis and maternity units.
“Unfortunately, the state government failed to appreciate our efforts and went on to introduce the policy of no work no pay,” said the union secretary Sani Yusuf.