Resident doctors make up the bulk of doctors in Nigeria's tertiary hospitals
As doctors under the aegis of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) commenced a five-day warning strike on Wednesday, skeletal health services were provided in some of the tertiary hospitals visited by PREMIUM TIMES.
The doctors had downed tools in the early hours of Wednesday following the failure of the Nigerian government to meet its demands.
The doctors, among other issues, are demanding the immediate payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), tangible steps on the "upward review" of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and payment of all salary arrears owed its members,, from 2015.
The resident doctors comprise the bulk of doctors in Nigeria's tertiary hospitals; hence health activities are mostly crippled when they are on strike.
Skeletal activities ongoing
A visit to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Jabi showed that skeletal health activities were going on. Our reporter observed that a few patients were waiting to be attended to.
A staffer who spoke anonymously said the hospital could not shut down because the doctors were on strike. "As you can see, some patients are waiting to be attended to. The corp members, house officers and medical consultants are all on the ground to attend to patients."
The source also admitted that services were slow due to the absence of the resident doctors, but "every patient in the hospital will be attended to in due time."
A patient, who also declined to disclose his identity, was about to leave the hospital premises and said he could no longer wait to be attended to, saying: "I have been waiting for hours, yet no one to attend to me. I will come back next week," he said.
National Hospital, Abuja
When PREMIUM TIMES visited the National Hospital, Abuja, patients were being attended to by nurses, consultant doctors and corps members.
Some patients, however, lamented delay in getting health services.
A patient sitting in the general out-patient area, identified simply as Ms Mary, said she was not aware of the doctors' strike.
"I have experienced this before, and it was terrible, so if I knew of the strike, I would have stayed back home," she said.
Another patient, Patrick Uzor, said he had been waiting to be attended to for a long time, and it was yet to get to his turn. Mr Uzor said although delayed services are not unusual at the national hospital, the doctors' strike has worsened the situation.
"I believe the doctors are not happy to go on strike, but they did it for a reason. My appeal is to the government to grant all their demands so they can resume soon," he said.
The hospital's spokesperson, Tayo Haastrup, confirmed that the resident doctors are on strike. He, however, said the hospital's management was ensuring that patients get necessary health care services.
Mr Haastrup said the five-day warning strike would "definitely affect the health services across the country as resident doctors comprise a large chunk of their staff composition."
He said the management may likely discharge some patients because of the ongoing strike.
"It is not like we will not accept patients in terms of emergency, but we will reduce the rate of admission, and patients that are due to be discharged will be discharged at this time," he said.
"For us, we don't have any problem with the resident doctors, but because it is a national body's directive, they have to comply. I can confirm to you that the resident doctors of the National Hospital have also joined the strike as of this morning."
Mr Haastrup said the hospital management is very proactive and that the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Mahmud Raji, has directed all heads of departments to take charge.
He appealed to the doctors to have rethink and help prevent the loss of lives.
LASUTH
At the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, patients confirmed they are being attended to swiftly despite the ongoing strike.
When PREMIUM TIMES checked the hospital's medical emergency centre, surgical unit, and maternity clinic, among other departments, doctors were still available to attend to patients.
At the hospital's medical emergency centre, a patient's relative confirmed that the operations were still on, adding that he didn't experience any delay.
"A necessary move"
The President of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at the National Hospital, Abuja chapter, Maruf Alao, said the doctors are not happy to down tools but that the situation forced them to.
Mr Alao said the doctors are overworked because there are insufficient hospital personnel.
"The work of 10 doctors is being done by one doctor, and that is why we have situations where a resident doctor was operating in the theatre and collapsed as a result of stress," he said.
He said the government needs to replace doctors that have left the country to distribute the workload.
"The government needs to call us to the negotiation table. We are not happy that we are on strike because we have families and friends as patients also. But we are only trying to register our displeasure that the government should meet our needs," Mr Raji said.
The President of LASUTH-ARD, Salmon Abeeb, said the chapter had complied 100 per cent with the directive by the national body.
Mr Abeeb noted that LASUTH is yet to commence the payment of hazard allowance more than two years after the agreement has been reached.
"Our hazard allowance still remains N5000. And we want them to hasten the residential quarters for all resident doctors so we can stay close to the hospital and be able to do our job," he said.
"We know that this strike is going to hit hard on our members. We just want government at all levels, both federal and state, to pay attention to doctors' welfare."
He added that only the consultant doctors and nurses are attending to patients.
"No work, No pay"
Mr Alao said the "no work, no pay" policy could not force the doctors to return to work.
"You would remember three years ago, NARD was on strike, and that was enforced, that is to tell you that we are ready. We are not challenging the government, we are fighting for what will be of benefit to Nigeria, so this is a sacrifice from us to Nigerians, we want you to come to the hospital and get adequate treatment with good facilities," he said.
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The President of NARD, Emeka Innocent, said the threat of a 'no-work, no-pay policy' would not resolve the issues the doctors raised.
Mr Innocent said it was time for the government to get serious with the issues on the ground.
"It is most unfortunate the way they are looking at us, we are doctors, and we are looking at germane issues. Instead of addressing the issues, they are drifting and talking about punitive measures, that is not good for Nigeria, and it is not good for the health sector, and it is not going to resolve the issues we have raised," he said.
He said its members were still awaiting the federal government's call for negotiations.
Warning strike
The association had in January issued an ultimatum to the government to resolve issues affecting its members, including the immediate implementation and payment of the new hazard allowance and arrears.
The resident doctors on 29 April further issued a two-week ultimatum to the government to meet its demands or face industrial action.
But the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, described the doctors' demands as "absurd".
Mr Ngige said the resident doctors are suffering from "entitlement syndrome", insisting that the federal government has gone to great lengths "to give them everything they want."
"We have been managing their matter and have given them everything they want, including the residency training programme funds; we are paying them, even when in training, we pay them a full salary, pay them all the allowances, and you decided that we have not done enough," he said.
