The University of Calabar, UNICAL has lost yet another of her student to the cold hands of death after being neglected at the hospital due to the ongoing Doctors’ strike in Cross River State.

 

It was gathered that the two hundred (200) Level student, Miss Rebecca Chukwueke, Female, from the Department of Food Science Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, died after the nurses and doctors refused to attend to her at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH on Saturday.

 

According to the students of the institution and a close family member, Chukwueke was later rushed to the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital at Murtala Mohammed High Way, Calabar, where she gave up her ghost after an unknown ailment.

 

“She was unconscious as on Saturday morning at 12:27am when she was rushed to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH); however, the nurses and doctors refused to examine her with an excuse that they are on strike.

 

“They (the students helping Miss Chukwueke) had to leave UCTH for General Hospital Calabar, yet the same excuse and finally, they took her to the Navy Hospital at Highway, where she was confirmed dead,” Prince Samuel Emenike, a student of the institution posted on Facebook.

 

The death of the Malabress sparked the plugs as one Mara Mara who claimed to be the sister to the deceased lamented the avoidable death of the Student.

 

Mara said, “This is nonsense….those doctors and nurses are inhumane and will pay for her (Miss Chukwueke) life. The same way they chose their work principles in disregard to a person’s life, that’s the way it’d be for them except they ask GOD for forgiveness.”

 

She continued, “If they knew they were on strike, they wouldn’t have opened that day and my sister would have lived – because they would have first of all rushed her to other hospital(s) that were open and ready to attend to her for the day. I thought the hospital staff are learned and should know how to do things…please, next time when they are on strike they should gently close up and don’t forget to announce that they are on strike.

 

“I wonder how the hospital will be on strike while the school is not; when the most important infrastructure needed at the school is being cut off, what do we expect?” Mara fumed.

 

Recall that earlier reports state that the Association of Resident Doctors, ARD-UCTH chapter had embarked on a industrial action on the 18th of March, 2019. The ARD-UCTH strike which has entered it 20th day was as a result of nonpayment of salary arrears from 2014-2016. “The strike will continue indefinitely until our request is met”, according to a communiqué, ARD-UCTH/Vol. 025/03/071, signed by the President and Secretary, Imoke Echang and Ucheji Okechuchwu in March.

 

Meanwhile, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of UCTH, Prof. Thomas Agan who only has few days to leave office, on the 21st of March decried the ongoing strike action by the Association of Resident Doctors of the hospital which he said was unnecessary because the issue has been explained and addressed.

 

Agan said the Federal Government has sunk in staggering sum of money into infrastructure, medical equipment and drugs yet it would still appear as if nothing has been done.

 

He pointed out that the returns from government’s vast investments in the institution have not been commensurate because of the thievery and diversion of patients allegedly by doctors to their personal facilities.

 

The CMD said the strike was highly unnecessary as the issue at stake which is the N100 million skipping allowance from the Federal Government has been well explained over time with assurance that the money and other entitlements will be available for them.

 

“My colleagues believe that we are not interested in paying the money. We are not refusing to pay. We have explained this issue over and again. I wonder why they are refusing to listen. The strike is very unnecessary even though the consultants are very handy at the hospital”, Agan said.

Miss Chukwueke is the fourth student to die in both the University of Calabar and Cross River University of Technology, CRUTECH in Cross River State in recent times; all due to the management lapses in both institutions.

By Frankie Ifop, Calabar Reporters