Doctors’ strike: Relatives move patients out of hospitals

As the ongoing nationwide strike embarked upon by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) enters its second week today, 

Sunday Tribune gathered that relatives of patients in some of the hospitals have started moving them out to seek solutions elsewhere. 

This is just as many who seek medical attention have been left stranded with some of them lamenting that the strike action has affected their treatment schedule. 

Sunday Tribune findings revealed that many patients were being moved out of different hospitals across the country to private clinics by their relations as they lamented that they had been left to their fate and could not watch their loved ones die because of the strike. 

With many patients left stranded and subjected to untold hardship, Sunday Tribune gathered that resident doctors shunned their duty posts as patients groan, while many others were turned back. 

From Abuja to Sokoto to Delta and Ekiti states, some of the patients and their relations who spoke with Sunday Tribune narrated their unfortunate experiences as doctors continue to stay away from work. 

Hospitals clear wards in Abuja 

Investigation revealed that patients in public hospitals in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been rendered helpless as doctors refuse to provide services. 

A visit to the Gwarinpa General Hospital showed little activities as there were no doctors on ground to attend to patients except for emergencies. 

A source at the hospital told the Sunday Tribune that the wards were cleared as a result of the strike. 

Similarly at the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, doctors refused to see patients even in the wards. 

A patient who pleaded anonymity said: “no doctor has attended to us since the commencement of the strike on Thursday. 

I hope that the government will find solutions to poor welfare of doctors to enable them to go back to their duties soon.” 

The National President of NARD, Dr Okhuaihesuyi Uyilawa, said the National Executive Committee will meet with the federal government on a date yet to be communicated on how to resolve dispute between NARD and the Federal Government. 

Patients relocate to private clinic in Sokoto 

Patients and other medical seekers in Sokoto have shifted their attention to private and other state government clinics to get proper medical attention as a result of the ongoing strike. When our correspondent visited the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) on Saturday to monitor the impact of the strike, patients were seen leaving the facility for private clinics in the state. 

When contacted, the chairman of the association in the state, Dr Sufiayanu Umar Yabo, said his members were still on strike as directed by the national body of the association. He explained that his members joined the strike as directed by the national body on Thursday morning and handed over all the patients on admission to the consultant. 

“We have done all what is expected of us before we embarked on the strike by informing the management of the hospital in writing which was acknowledged by them.” 

“We hope the intervention of both the leadership of National Assembly and other stakeholders will resolve the issue on time to return normalcy to the hospital,” he added. 

Strike paralyses healthcare services in Ekiti 

The ongoing strike has also paralysed delivery of healthcare services at the Ekiti State Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) and the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti (FETHI) as the resident doctors joined the nationwide industrial action. 

The strike, it was learnt, has brought severe and untold hardship to scores of patients in the hospitals. 

Our correspondent, who visited Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti (ETHI) and Ekiti State Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) observed that there was full compliance as resident doctors shunned their duty posts. 

At the EKSUTH, many patients were seen stranded as only a few consultants and some health workers were attending to patients. 

Members of the public who thronged the facility were turned back by nurses and other health professionals who did not join the strike. 

The situation was the same at FETHI as the action rendered the hospital desolate with patients on admission discharged as consultants ran skeletal medical services. Some other patients and their relatives were seeing finalising documents to take their sick ones to private health facilities in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.  

Speaking, the president of NARD in EKSUTH, Dr Olaniyi Olaoye, said the strike action was necessary in order to compel government to address the challenges facing quality health care delivery in the country. 

He said: “We are on strike and I can confirm to you that this is total across our hospitals. Our patients should understand the situation and combine efforts with us to resolve the issues in the health sector. 

“The problem is affecting everybody and we want the strike to be short so that the government will attend to our demands for us to go back to work as soon as possible.” 

The South-West caucus leader of NARD, Dr Taofeek Sanni, who spoke with Sunday Tribune said his members complied with the national strike.  

Sani, who works at FETHI said, as a mark of respect, patients were handed over to the consultants who were not part of the strike. 

Doctors adamant in Kebbi 

The President of NARD Federal Medical Center (FMC) Birnin-Kebbi Chapter, Dr. Abdulrasheed Olayinka, on Saturday, appealed to the Federal Governent to do the needful and put end to the industrial action. 

Dr Olayinka while fielding questions from the Sunday Tribune stated that the demand of the association was tantamount to improved welfare of doctors so as to give their best to the ordinary people in the society. 

He explained that Resident Doctors at the FMC Birnin-Kebbi were facing a lot of challenges ranging from non-payment of salaries of members, adding that those of them who are paid had discrepancies and irregularity in payment. 

Consultants take over in Bauchi, Jos 

Resident Doctors working in Bauchi and Federal Medical Center in Azare vowed to continue to participate in the ongoing nationwide strike on Sunday. 

While speaking with Sunday Tribune, state chairman of NARD, Dr Muhammad Nur Algazali said that, “we are still on strike in line with the directives of the national body. We cannot do otherwise. None of our members is rendering any service until the issues were resolved and the industrial action called off by the national body”. 

The CMD of ATBUTH, Bauchi, Dr Jibrin Bara, while reacting to the development said that, “For now, we have mobilised all our consultants, who are rendering services to the patients assisted by the few House medical workers to keep the situation under control”. 

The ATBUTH CMD added that, “all our emergency centers at the EPU, Gynecological for pregnant women, trauma center for accident cases are opened and attending to cases as they come. All our people are putting in their best to provide quality care to the patients as they come.” 

He, however, expressed optimism that the strike action will not last long as he confirmed that negotiations were ongoing on how to reach a compromise. 

The CMD of FMC, Azare, Dr Abdullahi Ibrahim in his reaction disclosed that “The strike has affected us in many ways because for now we cannot run the normal 18 hours outpatient and other services. But as of today (Saturday), we have not recorded any casualties; though we have made some referrals.” 

Also in Jos, the Plateau State capital, Sunday Tribune gathered that the strike was taking its toll on healthcare facilities in the state as resident doctors shunned work while consultants take charge. 

President of NARD in Jos, Dr. Nalda Nanfal, who spoke with Sunday Tribune said his branch has joined the nationwide strike action saying that NARD had withdrawn its services from JUTH since March 31. 

Dr Nanfal said NARD is demanding for the payment of salaries from December 2020 to March 2021, adding that some of the doctors were yet to be paid the three-month COVID-19 induce allowance. 

Consultants, corps members provide skeletal services 

At Federal Medical Centre in Asaba, Delta State, Sunday Tribune observed that skeletal services were being carried out by consultants and corps members as the strike action entered the fourth day. Sunday Tribune discovered that most of the wards were empty as patients were said to have left or been taken to private hospitals. 

According to the medical director of the hospital, Dr Victor Osiatumah, most of the patients had been discharged, addding that consultants and corps members were on ground to attend to emergency cases at the weekend. 

A relation to one of the patients at the male ward, Mrs Joy Okoro, said she had to remove her brother because no doctor attended to him for two days. “What kind of country is this where the poor can never get the best of anything? The health of individual should be taken seriously by the government of the day,” she lamented. 

But unlike Asaba, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) maintained medical attention to its patients despite the indefinite strike as consultants, nurses and other health workers ensured that service delivery at the hospital continued. 

Our correspondent who visited UPTH reported that only consultants, nurses and other health workers were attending to patients as those on admission were not forced to leave the hospital. 

Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, UPTH, Princewill Stanley says no aspect of service delivery would be shut down, saying the management of the hospital has activated a strike intervention protocol. 

“There won’t be any total shut down of services and the patients in the wards not one will be discharged,” he said. 

Minister accuses NERD of rejecting memorandum 

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige on Saturday faulted what he termed unilateral repudiation of the Memorandum of Action reached between the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) and the Federal Government, by the National President of NARD, Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, describing it as very strange and unknown in labour negotiation. 

The minister said the NARD national president was sick during the meeting and could not take part in the negotiation but handed over to his deputy, the secretary general and other officers of the association, to conclude the process in a meeting that lasted for eight hours. 

Ngige, who spoke to reporters on Saturday, said for the national president to now come out and reject the MoA, unilaterally is unacceptable and unknown to any known tripartite negotiation in labour.

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