Patients prematurely discharged as doctors promise total strike •We’ll treat bomb blast victims —NMA

Second day into the national Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) strike, a visit to various hospitals across the nation found the wards of the hospitals almost empty.

At the different wards visited, nurses were seen at hand to oversee the care of the few patients that were still on admission at the hospitals.

The chairman, National Medical Association, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, (LUTH) Dr Omojowolo, in a chat, said the ongoing national strike embarked upon by the doctors in government-owned hospitals might not be called off anytime soon, as government was still not forthcoming in addressing the issues surrounding the strike.

Speaking with a nurse, who pleaded anonymity, at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, he told Nigerian Tribune that stable patients were already being discharged from the hospital, while the ones who still needed steady medical attention had been given the choice to either be referred to a private hospital or stay with the hopes that the strike would be called off soon enough.

“The strike remains indefinite and total”, he however added that emergency cases and issues of mass casualties, such as in a bomb incident, would be attended to by the doctors.

The Chief Medical Director, LUTH, Professor Akin Osibogun, also speaking with Nigerian Tribune, expressed regret at the strike, saying: “We are hoping that there will be quick discussions, so that all can be resolved as rapidly as possible.”

A visit to a 14-bed central ward of the University College Hospital (UCH) on the fourth floor, only five people were on admission; five on the 36 bedded double wing West ward on the fourth floor and four people were on admission on the West ward on the third floor.

While many of the doctors were seen moving around in casual clothes and patients were seen being taken away by their relatives, only one patient was on admission at the accident and emergency department, which is always a bee hive of activities before the strike started.

Also, some of the beddings and ward cabinets were seen outside the accident and emergency department, which was not a replica of its self.

Meanwhile, many relatives of patients spoken with pleaded with the government to resolve the strike, which they described as a one already taken toll on Nigerians.

Alhaji Babatunde Oderemi, who made an appeal that the Federal Government should find a lasting solution to the lingering strike in the health sector, said his relative, billed to have dialysis, was still in the hospital.

Although, the cost of dialysis had been paid for and had been on admission for 22 days, Alhaji Oderemi said moving him out to another hospital was a big problem because he had no money to even pay for his outstanding bill on admission.

“I had cried seriously in the morning because his health is in a deplorable state, but since there is no electricity, there is nothing that had been done for him,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) has described the strike embarked upon by members of the NMA nationwide as illegal, contending that the physicians’ body is not a trade union and cannot embark on work-to-rule.

JOHESU, in a statement made available to journalists on Wednesday, signed by its National General Secretary, O. C. Ogbonna, also berated the  Medical and Dental Council Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) for taking the Federal Ministry of Health to the National Industrial Court (NIC) that the implementation of the June 5 agreement between government and JOHESU should not be implemented.

“NUAHP has serious objection to this. No individual or group of individuals, under whatever disguise, can deny the union its legitimate right. Since it was the NIC which ruled earlier in our favour over these issues, JOHESU and NUAHP have instructed their lawyer to join in the case and we shall floor the NMA/MDCAN again come July 10, 2014.

“The national secretariat is aware that the NMA has commenced a nationwide strike. The NMA, not being a registered union, is not legally covered to go on with the strike, and the present strike embarked upon by the NMA is illegal.

“To substantiate this fact, in a landmark judgment the NIC delivered on the June 20, 2011 between the Attorney-General of Enugu State and the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP), held that the right to strike is a right belonging to trade unions and not to individual workers and cannot be exercised by all who are in essential services. 

“Arising from this therefore, the NMA strike is illegal and it is tailored to aggravate the sufferings of the common people in the public. In this era of bomb blasts and various victims being hospitalised, what justification and moral right does NMA have to embark on a strike? Why should NMA commence this illegal strike when the services of its members are highly needed; where is their human feelings?

In another development, medical services were grounded in both federal and state hospitals in Edo State, on Tuesday, following a nationwide strike embarked upon by the NMA.

At the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), new patients were returned while some kind-hearted medical officers attended to some patients who were already on admission.

One of the senior officers, who spoke to our correspondent, said NMA officials were already meeting over the issue.

At the Edo State-owned Central Hospital, Benin City, new patients were rejected while those already on admission were attended to by some doctors.

Scores injured as pandemonium rocks DELSUTH

Ebenezer Adurokiya - Warri

Scores of workers of the Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), Oghara, have sustained varying degrees of injuries during an industrial action they embarked upon on Tuesday.

The workers seized the opportunity of the national strike  embarked upon by members of the Medical and Health Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) on June 1 to vent out their anger over what they called insensitivity of the management to address their plight.

The workers went on street protests when they clashed with security agents who were drafted to the scene to prevent hoodlums from hijacking the action.

The protest went awry when the security agents reportedly shot sporadically into the air in a bid to forcefully drive the workers back to their beats.

The pandemonium that ensued left many of the protesting workers  injured.

The workers, numbering about 600, went  berserk, accusing the management of the hospital of subjecting them to untold hardship.

They said we were protesting “poor working condition, lack of promotion, withholding of their salary arrears and lack of free medical care for workers,among others.”

The men in arms were said to have been drafted to the scene by the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Dr Leslie Akporaye in order to avert destruction of lives and property.

The protesting workers were led by the chairman of the workers union, James Ufuomanafe Ochuko and the secretary, Sunday Omene.

According to them, “We have sustained bullet injuries; the security men shot at us, but God has saved us; we did not die.”

Both union leaders have directed the workers to continue the indefinite strike they have embarked on until their demands are met.

Amaechi partners private hospitals

Dapo Falade -Port Harcourt

As a means of alleviating their pains, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has entered into partnership with eight private hospitals to give free medical care to patients who registered under the Free Medical Care Programme of the state, despite the ongoing strike by medical doctors nationwide.

According to a statement issued from the Government House Press Unit, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Sampson Parker, disclosed this in Port Harcourt, on Wednesday.

He said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the state government with the private hospitals was a crisis-management strategy to alleviate and ameliorate the effects of the nationwide industrial action on the people in the state.

“The eight private hospitals involved in the MoU include Riverside Hospital, Harbour Road, Port Harcourt; Princess Medical Centre, Trans-Amadi, Prime Medical Consultants, Rumuogba; Sonabel Medical Centre, Orazi; Sterling Specialist Hospital, King Jaja Street, Port Harcourt; Military Hospital Aba Road; First Gate Dental Centre, Harley Street, Old GRA; Atinu Critical Care and Professor Kelsey Harrison Hospital Emenike Street in Port Harcourt.

“We believe that the private sector participation must be encouraged and that is why we went into the Memorandum of Understanding with the private sector.

“The private hospitals we chose meet the standard of the state government. We have engaged them to assist our patients. These hospitals will offer services to women in labour, accidents and surgical intervention.

“You can imagine a woman who has been attending the Braithwaite Specialist Hospital and her due date for surgery is near, you cannot allow a woman like that to go into labour.

“We have decided to handover such persons to qualified medical doctors in the private sector so that we don’t suffer so much casualty. The arrangement continues as long as the strike persist. It is actually a crisis management strategy.

“When the strike is over, the patients will return to government hospitals. I must make it clear that these patients were registered under the Free Medical Care Programme of the Rivers State government”, Parker said.

The health commissioner also said primary health centres built by the Amaechi-led administration in various communities would remain open for immunization and other ad hoc services.

“We have made arrangements for our people in Rivers State. This will enable them access emergency care. Particularly, the pregnant women and children, including other people who may have suffered one form of accidents or the other.

“This is to make sure that our people do not suffer too much hardship during the period of the strike. You may wish to know that once a doctor is aggrieved, it affects the general public because the primary concern of a doctor is his patient. So it is to every health worker.

“Because of the incessant strike by doctors and health workers that is why the Rivers State  government is pro-active under the administration of Governor Amaechi to hook up this idea of partnering with the private sector.

He commended Governor Amaechi for his foresight in partnering with the private sector and said that, out if necessity, patients should forward their emergency cases to the Emergency Medical Services of the Ministry of Health. (EMS-112 or call – 08033104730)

National Hospital withdraws full-capacity services

Christian Okeke and Collins NNabuife -Abuja

As the indefinite strike action embarked upon by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) commences, management of the National Hospital, Abuja, has withdrawn full-capacity services.

Nigerian Tribune, which visited the hospital on Wednesday, observed that medical personnel on duty only attended to in-patients and patients on critical conditions.

Fresh patients were not attended to as some left the hospital to seek medical attention at private hospitals.

A patient, who spoke to the Nigerian Tribune but would not want to be mentioned was seen leaving the hospital, in company of his relatives.

He stated that no doctor came to attend to him that morning, forcing him to opt to leave.

According to him, there was an explanation by the hospitals management that the medical staff were complying to the ongoing strike.

The public relations officer of the hospital, Dr. Tayo Haastrup confirmed to the Nigerian Tribune that the hospital will not admit new patients.

He said, “For us, the management resolved to monitor and take care of in-patients and we have put machinery in place to achieve that

“We won’t admit new patients. As for those on critical patients, especially those at intensive care unit, we resolved to keep them, monitor them and keep their details

“The essence of the medical profession is to save lives and we are bound to do just that, which is to save lives,” he said.

However at the Wuse General Hospital, medical personnels there seemed not to have complied with the instructions of total strike by NMA.

Nigerian Tribune which also visited the hospital noted that normal hospital activities were going on.

The emergency ward was open and patients were receiving treatment, including those affected by the recent Emab mall bomb attack.

Same was the story at the Asokoro and Garki general hospitals.

Efforts made by Nigerian Tribune to speak with the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Wuse General Hospital however proved abortive as there was directive that the CMD did not want to speak with the press.

Nigerian Tribune also reached out to the general manager of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) hospitals management board, Dr. Aminu Mai to find out the general feeling of the board regarding the strike.

He however declined to make comments but asked our correspondents to pass judgement based on what was observed at the hospitals.

It will be recalled that the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) embarked on an indefinite strike on July 1, 2014.

The association had earlier given the government two weeks ultimatum to meet up with its demands which expired on the day the industrial action commenced.

Among the demands included the expedition of the passage of the National Health Bill (NHB) and extension of the Universal Health Coverage to cover 100 per cent of Nigerians not the 30 per cent as currently prescribed by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The association also demanded for the immediate appointment of the Surgeon General of the Federation, and the clinical allowance for honorary consultants to be increased by 90 per cent.

The demand also included the immediate withdrawal of the Central Bank of Nigeria circular authorizing the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) to approve licenses for the importation of In-Vitro Diagnostics (IVDs).

NMA also demanded that the position of the Chief Medical Director\Medical Directors should be occupied by a medical doctor as contained in the Act establishing the tertiary hospitals.