BEVERLY HILLS, Aprill 03, (THEWILL) – Patients at the University of Uyo Teaching hospital, (UUTH), Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, were left stranded as the ongoing nationwide strike by resident doctors continues unabated.
Recall that the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) had recently embarked on an indefinite strike due to the failure of the Federal Government to meet their demands.
In a communiqué issued at the end of NARD’s congress and endorsed by its President, Dr. Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, the union directed an immediate downing of tools by doctors until their demands, including payment of all allowances owed house officers, got paid by the Federal Government.
Other demands include: Payment of outstanding salaries for March, improvement in the general welfare of workers, removal of the President of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN, Dr. Tajudeen Sanusi, amongst others.
When The Will correspondent visited UUTH at the weekend, the facility was almost deserted as only a few workers, particularly the administrative officers, manned duty posts to attend to patients.
Persons interviewed expressed dissatisfaction over the situation as so many of them, especially those who brought critically sick ones to the hospital for the first time, could not find a doctor to consult.
One Mrs. Itoro Sunday told our correspondent that she brought her ailing baby to the hospital but was frustrated to learn of the doctors’ strike.
According to her, “I came here this morning because my baby was running a temperature and has been vomiting and stooling since last night. The lady at the counter did not give me a hospital card; she said that doctors are on strike that I should go. I’m just stranded because the money my husband gave me will not be enough to take her to a private clinic.”
Another person seen roaming helplessly around the corridor of the OPD said, “I don’t know why this doctors/government palaver would come up now that I brought my mother to the hospital. They have refused to even open a hospital card for her, although I’m ready to pay for it. To think of a private hospital now is not what my pocket can carry. I really feel for my mother because her health condition is bad.”
At the accident/emergency ward, unattended patients were seen lying on benches along the walkways and corridors.
Critical cases were being rushed out as soon as the word “strike” was mentioned.
Meanwhile, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of UUTH, Professor Emem Abasi Bassey, while responding to our reporter claimed he had reached an agreement with resident doctors to run emergency services, even though they were still on strike.
He added that though ‘emergency’ had categories, they would try their best to ensure that life-threatening cases were attended to immediately.
Bassey, who is a former Commissioner for Health, in the state said the hospital usually looked deserted on weekends, especially during public holidays, and denounced the insinuation that no medical officer was seen because of strict adherence to the strike action.
Expressing hope that the strike would soon be called off, Bassey urged the resident doctors to also compromise a little while negotiations went on with the Federal Government.
He however noted that some of the demands therein might not be met in a short term.
According to him, “On our own, we are still keeping emergency services running, that is the arrangement I reached with the resident doctors. Consultants are still working, though they still need assistance from other officers because they cannot work alone.”
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