Medical Doctors and other health workers in Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi particularly those working at the Trauma Center have been urged to always attend to patients seeking emergency care because it is their inalienable rights in the new national health act.
The call was made by the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of ATBUTH, Dr Mohammed Alkali who was speaking on Friday during the Annual end of the year award ceremony to outstanding staff and departments organised by the Clinical Activities Coordinating Committee (CACC) of the hospital.
He emphasised that the National Health Act which was recently signed by President Muhammadu Buhari into law stipulates that it is the responsibility of the health institutions and governments to fund emergency health care services.
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He added that even if there is no adequate space at the trauma unit, the Doctors and other health workers on duty should make sure that there is no life-threatening situation as at that time.
Mohammed Alkali stressed that ” It is a right of patients to have emergency care. If you can’t render services for whatever reasons, you must document it. If you don’t have space, there is nothing you can do. But you have to make sure that there is no life-threatening situation as at that time”.
” If there is a life-threatening situation, it must be addressed and then give appropriate referral elsewhere”, the CMD told the doctors and health workers saying however that plan is underway to upgrade the trauma centre so that it can attend to up to 40 patients at the same time.
Other projects to be carried out by the hospital very soon subject to funds availability according to him are upgrading of the psychiatric unit and establishment of infectious diseases unit among others.
In his remarks, Secretary of the Clinical Activities Coordinating Committee (CACC), Abdulrazak Toyin explained that the annual awards were aimed at boosting staff morale and enhancing productivity in the hospital.
He further noted that the awards and prizes were presented to beneficiaries for punctuality, hard work and dedication to duty.
Abdulrazak Toyin also revealed that two staff of the hospital have died while 19 others including 16 Nurses, one Community Health Technician, one Medical Laboratory Scientist and an Administration Officer have retired within the year.
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