Ongoing nationwide strike has affected public hospitals as doctors were sent out of their consultation offices. At Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), workers’ union officials disrupted clinical activities, leaving patients without care from health workers.
The Guardian learnt that some patients were discharged and health workers were sent out due to the strike. It was gathered that only the hospital’s emergency unit was operational, while patients, who had been scheduled to see doctors, yesterday, were rescheduled for another day.
At LASUTH information centre, The Guardian was told to visit a private hospital as most departments of the hospital were not operational. A brother to a patient, who did not disclose his name, said patients on admission were in their various wards without doctors’ attention. The pharmacy unit of the hospital was also affected as observation showed the pharmacy was not fully opened and functional.
President of Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), in an interview, told The Guardian that the association, in a recent communiqué before the commencement of the strike, called on the Federal Government to look into ways to ensure that the strike did not commence by finding a common ground for agreement. “We are still hopeful that within the next 24 to 48 hours, the Federal Government will see reasons with the demands of the NLC and shift grounds on modalities that would make this indefinite industrial action to be called off,” he said.
He explained that although NARD was not a member of Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) or Trade Union Congress (TUC) and so not on strike, they were in support of the struggle. He continued that the association believed it was a struggle for the survival of the Nigerian system and although their members might show up for work, what they can do would be limited.
“Even though we show up at work, we are handicapped, so many things are not allowed to run, we try to collate all our efforts to make the emergency run as much as possible because of our respect for lives of the average Nigerians,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) Chairman in Lagos, Babajide Saheed, in an interview with NAN urged the Federal Government to address workers’ concerns toward ending the ongoing nationwide strike.
Saheed said Lagos NMA stood with the NLC/TUC in advocating for a living wage for Nigerian workers and that the growing hardships in the country had resulted in higher rates of illness and death among the population.
