Ben Ezechime, Enugu
As the strike by Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) continued Nationwide, it was observed that health institutions in Enugu have continued to operate skeletal services.
A visit to the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH), Parklane and the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, showed that activities had reduced in the hospitals.
It would be recalled that the ARD strike commenced on Wednesday, August 2, 2023.
It was also observed that lots of patients, who can come from home for their treatment, had been discharged; while those in unstable condition are still retained in the hospitals.
It was clear that relatives of patients are worried over the lack of close care given to their sick ones due to lack of resident doctors, who are like foot soldiers, administering the actual day-to-day and wards medical services.
A patient at ESUTH, Mrs Clara Ogwu, said that the attention she had been receiving for some days had fell short of expectations as ARD doctors that stay in the wards were no longer there to receive her complaint.
“It takes longer time for the few senior (consultant) doctors to go around the wards and come to attend to us daily and getting their attention personally is not that easy,” Ogwu said.
Speaking at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu; Dr Ngozichukwu Unaogu, Head of Clinic Services of the hospital, said that consultant doctors have been up and doing; while meeting up with the daily medical service demand of the hospital.
Unaogu said that the consultant doctors have taken over the work of the resident doctors and the patients at the hospital were not feeling the reduction in the manpower especially on the medical clinical staff.
“We daily attend to the patients in the hospital, picking and attending to emergency calls. However, we (consultants) are already over stretched and over worked as we stay from early morning till late evening,” she said.
In his view, Dr Ferguson Mbachu, President of ARD in Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, called on Nigerians to ensure that the Federal and some state governments do not implement its proposed “no work, no pay” initiative.
Mbachu said that Nigerians should weigh-in on the government not to implement the anti-progressive initiative as Nigerians would suffer greatly if the action should be implemented.
“We have gone beyond that threat now. Government should meet the simple demands of ARD already made known to them over sometime now; even as ARD is opened for negotiation always,” he said.
Corroborating, Dr Chukwunonso Ofonere, President of ARD in ESUTH, Parklane, said that with the current hyperinflation, the doctors were asking for 200 per cent increment in their salary to be at par with the 2014 Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (COMASS).
“This will also help to check the brain drain among doctors and doctors seeking greener pastures in other countries that have better monthly pay and allowance provisions,” Ofonere said.
He also said that the hazard allowance paid to doctors in the hospital, which is still N5,000 monthly, remained an insult, adding: “The state government has refused to discuss the Medical Resident Training Fund (MRTF) till date.”
