Abuja Resident Doctors’ Strike Forces Consultant to Work 36 Hours

Federal Capital Territory (FCT)’s healthcare strategy has plunged into an unprecedented situation arsenic nonmigratory doctors successful its hospitals proceed their indefinite strike.

This has earnestly affected aesculapian services and near the skeletal unit of overworked consultants to negociate diligent loads that person reached catastrophic proportions.

The concern action, which began connected Monday, has created a nightmare script successful exigency units and wards successful hospitals visited by LEADERSHIP.

It was learnt that 1 doc present cares for implicit 50 patients portion connected duty.

A elder advisor who preferred anonymity said helium had been connected work for 36 hours straight, moving betwixt wards with a weariness that seemed to person settled successful his bones.

“I person mislaid number of however galore patients I person seen today. We are doing triage without saying we are doing triage. The astir captious cases get attraction first, portion others wait. It is not medicine anymore; it’s situation management,” helium said.

For patients, the world is terrifying, Chinwe Okonkwo, whose girl was rushed to 1 of the FCT hospitals with a terrible asthma attack, shares her ordeal, “We person been waiting for 4 hours. The nurses are benignant but overwhelmed.

“They told america determination is lone 1 doc covering the full children’s exigency ward. My girl is struggling to breathe, and I don’t cognize however overmuch longer she tin clasp on. This onslaught is sidesplitting us,” she said.

In the maternity ward, the concern is arsenic serious; expectant mothers successful labour are being managed by midwives, with doctors lone called for emergencies.

“I was expected to person a cesarean section, but it has been postponed indefinitely. They said the doctors are connected onslaught and the 1 disposable is successful country with a analyzable case.

“I person nary enactment but to rapidly rise wealth to spell to a backstage infirmary earlier thing happens to my baby. I americium frightened for my babe and myself,” she said.

A elder caregiver astatine Kubwa General Hospital who besides preferred anonymity said, “If this onslaught persists, we volition spot preventable deaths. Not conscionable from the captious cases, but from the domino effect.

“People with manageable conditions volition deteriorate without care.

When contacted, a elder authoritative successful the FCTA Health Services and Environment Secretariat who preferred anonymity due to the fact that of the regularisation connected speaking to the media, said that the curate has heard their doctors’ demands and volition instrumentality clip to code them accordingly erstwhile he  returns to Abuja.

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) downed tools aft an exigency legislature connected Sunday, pursuing months of failed negotiations with the FCT administration.

The doctors demanded contiguous enactment connected a litany of grievances, including six months of unpaid salaries, a terrible manpower shortage and a backlog of captious allowances.

In an interview, the wide caput of the ARD successful the FCTA, Dr Affiong Agbo, elaborate the despair and vexation that forced the doctors to instrumentality this drastic step.

“We person consistently begged and dialogued for them to beryllium paid, but the authorities seems unwilling. All we perceive is that determination is nary wealth successful the budget,” Agbo said.

She lamented that doctors employed since 2023 to regenerate those who had near person not received salaries for up to six months, pushing galore to the brink of fiscal ruin.

With lone implicit 300 doctors to service millions of residents successful the FCT, the workload had go unbearable and dangerously unsafe.

“We are really overworked. In immoderate hospitals, you spot 1 doc doing the enactment of 5 to 10 doctors. For example, erstwhile I americium connected work successful my hospital, I screen mishap and emergency, paediatrics, interior medicine, household medicine, country and sometimes obstetrics and gynaecology,” she said.