Ailing patients were left in pains yesterday as the five-day warning strike by residents doctors grounded activities in teaching hospitals nationwide.

The worst affected facilities were the Nationa Hospital and Federal Medical Centre, Abuja; University of Lagos Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Federal Medical Centre, Asaba;; Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, and National Orthopedic Hospital, Enugu; Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara and the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa, Bayelsa State,

Others were the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria; the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH); Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital (MAUTH); Yola; Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina; Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, Federal Medical Centre, Birninkudu; Federal University Dutse Teaching Hospital and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi.

The Federal Government, however, said it was negotiating with the leadership of the doctors’ umbrella body, the National Association of Residents Doctors (NARD), to end the strike which enters its second day today.

NARD had NARD warned on Monday that the strike would commence since the Federal Government had remained silent on the demand it made on April 29, 2023.

Chief among the demands are a 200 per cent review of their Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), and issuance of a circular by the House of Representatives jettisoning a bill seeking to stop doctors from leaving the country without a mandatory five-year service period.

Others are the issuance of a circular by the Federal Ministry of Health for the replacement of doctors and nurses that have left the system, the payment of salary arrears and improvement in hazard allowance by states.

President of the association, Emeka Orji, had shortly before the strike commenced, called on President-elect Bola Tinubu to bring his experience to bear by crisis resolution.

He stated that Tinubu’s intervention would send a message of hope to its members, and other Nigerians, that his government would not be a strike-mongering administration.

He said: “We issued a 14-day ultimatum expecting that the government will address many of these issues or at least call us for negotiation. But the Federal Ministry of Health did not bat an eyelid or make any attempt to resolve these issues.

“We know the capacity and the experience of President-elect Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu to resolve issues like this. He is going to be sworn-in in about two weeks. As far as we are concerned, this is the time for him to step in because we have been going around to engage this government, but their body language is that they are packing up.”

At nearly all the hospitals, activities were at a low ebb as only specialist doctors/ consultants and nurses were seen attending to worried patients.

In some of the hospitals visited by The Nation correspondents, families were making plans to evacuate their hospitalised children and kin. In a few others, overburdened nurses and security guards turned back new patients and those on appointment.

ABUTH management, however, said it would by Monday deploy the services of Locum doctors to attend to patients. Locum doctors are medical professionals whose standing for regular doctors for a period of time

In many of the hospitals, many patients experienced delays in accessing healthcare services, as only consultants and nurses attended to them. Also, only those in an emergency were treated while patients on appointment were turned back by nurses and security guards.

The Nation also gathered that many of the hospitals were preparing to discharge those recuperating due to a lack of manpower.

Some parents and relations of patients on admission were heard saying that they had no option but to seek alternative treatment places.

At LUTH, NARD President, Kemi Abiloye, who confirmed that members complied fully with the strike directive, said: “Only consultants attended to some patients.”

Also at LASUTH where doctors worked half day, only a few patients were attended to, leaving many distressed.

A NARD executive member, who asked not to be named, said: “We are being asked to come to Alausa over the matter.”

In Katsina, the Director of Corporate Affairs of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Bishir Idris said the management had to put in place, strategies to fill in the created by the strike.

“We have consultants, medical officers, physiotherapists, nurses, midwives and other health personnel on the ground, carrying out their (resident doctors) duties,” Idris added.

But NARD members in Osun State University Teaching Hospital (UNIOSUNTH), did not participate in the strike yesterday, following the intervention of Governor Ademola Adeleke

A source at a meeting between Adeleke and NARD leaders yesterday, said: “We are going to hold our congress tomorrow(today) to know whether we are going to embark on the ststrike did not also hold in federal hospitals in Ondo and Yobe states

Fed. Govt negotiating with NARD leaders

Health Minister Osagie Ehanire says the ministry is in close talks with stakeholders in the health sector to address the demands of the resident doctors.

Ehanire, who spoke at a news conference to commemorate this year’s World Hypertension Day in Abuja, said the issues at stake would soon be resolved.

“With respect to the doctors’ strike, I believe that at this time, the leadership of the Ministry will as usual be engaging with the Ministry of Labour, relevant stakeholders and the resident doctors to resolve what the issues are. We hope that these issues will be resolved quickly,” the minister said.

He was represented at the event by the Director of Public Health at the Ministry, Morenike Alex-Okoh.

Ehanire explained that “the situation with the doctors’ strike is of concern to the government,” and the negotiations had been ongoing and therefore would continue.

Minister of Labour and Employment Chris Ngige yesterday accused the resident doctors of being disrespectful to the government.

He expressed surprise that the doctors could embark on the strike when negotiations were ongoing.

Ngige, who was featured on Arise Morning Show, said: “The resident doctors are part of NMA. They are young doctors in training.

“So if NMA is negotiating on their behalf as the parent body, what these young people (resident doctors) are doing is disrespecting the NMA. They are crying wolf when there is none.”

He warned that Ehanire might instruct teaching hospitals to employ and pay ad-hoc staff with the money meant for the striking doctors.

“It is incongruous for student’s doctors to embark on strike when consultants training them were already negotiating with the Federal Government,” Ngige said. (The Nation)

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