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Resident doctors’ strike bites harder as hospitals discharge patients

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It is hardly the ideal time for Nigerians seeking medical care, especially at the nation’s tertiary health facilities, as the National Association of Resident Doctors, or NARD, has crippled hospital services and abandoned patients to their fate due to its nationwide total and indefinite strike.

A visit to some of the hospitals revealed total compliance with the strike as only a few Consultants and House Officers were rendering skeletal services to patients with serious complaints.

However, new appointments were not given to patients as doctors were absent from their duty posts to do that.

Although the Consultants who are senior doctors were attending to emergency cases, many patients were turned back, including patients that required surgery.

Our correspondent gathered that despite the recent announcement by the Federal Government’s of 25 percent salary increase, the striking doctors have remained adamant.

For the doctors, it is either the Federal government meets their stated demands or they are not returning to work. Some were even quoted as saying that patients should go to the President for their medical treatment.

At the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, NOHIL; Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, to other tertiary health institutions nationwide, including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja the situation was the same.

For instance, at both the LUTH and LASUTH on Monday, hospital services were disrupted following the strike. Some of the patients who spoke to Good Health Weekly, lamented the effects of the strike.

Some patients who were attended to but asked to return after the doctors resumed, gave kudos to the Consultants who attended to them, even as others that were turned back or left unattended, decried the high cost of transportation to and from the hospitals.

Around 11:00 am when our correspondent visited LUTH, a few patients were seen in the waiting areas. Although there were skeletal services in some of the hospital clinics, a number of patients claimed they were told to go back home, as doctors were not on the ground to give out appointment dates.

At the surgery department, a patient told our correspondent that although it was her first time at the hospital, she was lucky to be among patients asked to stay.

The patient who identified herself as Jennifer said: “The doctors are on strike. I was told to come back on Thursday. I was referred here for surgery. They have many patients here, if these few doctors are not working, you can imagine thousands of patients that would have died today. Many of these patients paid so much to be here but were sent home unattended,.

“I pray that the government answers them fast. Nigerians are suffering. I am coming all the way from Ikorodu to this place. It is not funny as transportation is high.”

Another patient encountered at the Pharmacy area, claimed that the doctors were attending to patients based on the seriousness of their ailment.

“Not every patient is being attended to. Some people that came in the morning along with me were not attended to. The doctor did not even waste time with me but asked me to get some of these drugs.”
A nurse at LUTH who did not want her name in print told Good Health Weekly, that patients in the wards have been discharged and that only a few that are unable to go home were still in the wards.

“We are not admitting new patients and those in the wards have been discharged. We have a few patients in the ward that cannot be discharged. Consultants are coming around to check them but many have been discharged. Many of them were discharged over the weekend. If you have patients please tell such patients to go to other hospitals, not LUTH. The doctors are on indefinite strike and no one knows when they will return to work,” she stressed.

Also at LASUTH, a man who brought his mother to the hospital was asked to take her to another hospital.

According to the man, who identified himself as Mr Ugo, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, but a nurse at the Oncology department advised him to take her to another hospital and they could not get another appointment since doctors were on strike.

Confirming the situation at LUTH, the Vice President of LUTH-ARD, Dr Omogbolahan Adenuga, maintained that the strike at the hospital remained total and indefinite.

“We have told our members to stay at home but Consultants and House Officers are working.”
He said the strike will only end when the government is ready to negotiate with them and meet their demands.

Asked what happens to patients, Adenuga who stated that patients should be sent to the President for treatment, argued that they were demanding the review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure to its rightful value.

“Though the government has done something, we vehemently reject that paltry 25 per cent. They have also given a 25 per cent allowance quarterly; it is ridiculous we have told them that we don’t want it.

“In this job, you must be mentally okay before making decisions on people’s lives. We are saying that what they are offering cannot take us home again; we are saying that the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure should be reviewed.

“To review this is to tackle brain drain. Doctors are travelling abroad because of poor infrastructure, poor welfare, and poor working conditions, among others. These are the things we are asking for, and I don’t think these things we are asking for are too much.”

Adenuga disclosed that they had discharged patients in the wards and were not seeing patients presently.
“All Resident Doctors are at home. We are not working for now. We are not taking new patients for now. All patients should stay at home for now or they should be taken to the Federal Government,” he stated.
Also, giving an update on possible negotiation with the medical doctors, the National President of NARD, Dr Emeka Orji said the Federal government had not reached out to them.

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Sanwo-Olu to receive democracy award in Tanzania

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The Association of Political Consultants Africa (APCA) has nominated Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, for the 2023 Democracy Award.

In a statement on Thursday, the organisation said the award recognises political leaders who have made significant strides in democratic leadership, development, and governance.

Temitope Lakisokun, APCA chairperson in Nigeria, said Sanwo-Olu has “demonstrated exceptional leadership by building the capacity of state secretaries and improving governance structures within Lagos state”.

She added that his efforts have set a benchmark for effective governance and democratic practices in Nigeria.

The award will be presented at the 7th Africa political summit & diamond awards billed for December 11-14 at Lux Marijani, Zanzibar in Tanzania.

Past recipients of the award include President Bola Tinubu, President William Ruto of Kenya and Abiy Ahmed, prime minister of Ethiopia.

Political leaders, consultants, and stakeholders from across the continent and beyond are expected at the event.

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Pride Cometh Before A Fall, “Do You Know Who I Am?”, By Emeka Monye

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Last week, a video surfaced on various social media platforms, showing how a supposed member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Alex Ikwechegh, emotionally, psychologically and physically assaulted a bolt driver, Stephen Abuwatseya, who had come to deliver a parcel of snail to him, from a client.

In the said video, “Honourable” Alex Ikwechegh, representing Abia North and South at the House of Representative, was seen harassing, threatening and intimidating the less privileged driver, who despite all the shootings and threats to his life, remained calm.

Irked by what he described as the driver’s rude behaviour towards him, the federal lawmaker boasted that he could make the bolt driver dispear without trace and nothing would happen; he even went ahead to ask the driver to call the Inspector General of Police.

What was the driver’s offence? Simply because the lawmaker perceived him to be rude, hence his outburst to a fellow citizen whose social and economic status is at disparity with his. That is the system that we operate and run with, a dysfunctional one for that matter, where every political office holder and “very important personalities”, and the elites see themselves above the law and the law will not hold them accountable for their misdemeanours.

This is not the Nigeria we all yearn for, where intimidation, impunity reign above all other considerations, including constitutionAl provision which guarantees the right to human dignity. The country we all aspire to live as one nation-state and entity is where equity, justice, supersede all other considerations.

The driver’s encounter with the honourable is not a new phenomenon in the Nigerian socio-economic and political space. It cut across all spares of our national life, including private and public sectors. The phrase, “Do you know who I am” is a national lingo crept into the DNAs of most, if not all, Nigerians.

From the usual traffic jams in major cities and towns across the nation, to the shopping mall, down to the streets and filling stations, the spate of attacks on the less privileged Nigerians by these so-called influential elites clearly postulates the arrogance of personality among us, even when it is not needed, a typical Nigerian would want to show off and make the ordinary man feel intimidated.

Honourable Ikwechegh’s case only got to national prominence because of two major factors – his person and office he is occupying and the very fact that the bolt driver recorded the whole unpleasant event and posted it on social media, leading it to go viral.

Alex Ikwechegh has gone down into history as one of those Nigerians who has etched their names as one of the Intimidators, harassers and abusers of human rights and dignity. Sadly, what makes his actions and behaviour quite despicable is that he is of the youthful generation, a generation that has been clamouring for youths empowerment and inclusion in public governance.

The “Do you know who I am” croner has been ducked before a magistrate court in Abuja, for assault, leaving him to lick his wound of pride in disgrace and shame. At least, the bolt driver has shown that calmness and reasoning far outweighs the emotional outburst displayed by Alex Ikwechegh.

There are lessons – he has parted with a large sum of 500,000 Naira as bail funds, two sureties in like sum and I am certain, he will be asked to compensate the victim, Stephen Abuwatseya in financial terms. That is a learning curve for all those who think they can assault the less privileged and get away from it.

All these embarrassments were avoidable if the honourable had been honourable enough to control his emotional outburst, by just simply paying the gentle man bolt driver his professional fee

Emeka Monye Is A Journalist, Works With ARISE NEWS.

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10 feared dead as building collapses in Ibadan

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No fewer than 10 individuals have reportedly lost their lives, while seven others were rescued in a building collapse in Jegede Olorunsogo, within the Ona Ara local government area of Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

Confirming the incident to Vanguard, General Manager of Oyo State Fire Services, Rev. Akinyemi Akinyinka, said they received distress calls from the people in the neighborhood at 2 a.m.

According to him, “May I inform you that Oyo State Fire Services Agency received a distressed call at around 2 am this morning at Jegede Olunloyo area, Ibadan, of which 10 persons have been recovered from the debris of the collapsed building, while 7 persons were rescued alive.”

“Rescue operation is still going on. I thank you.”

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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