Patients count cost as strike paralyses medical services in Lagos

General hospitals in Lagos are discharging patients with skeletal services offered only at the emergency unit, following a total nation-wide strike action embarked upon since April 17, 2018.

The on-going strike will not end, if government continues its lackadaisical attitude towards the union’s demands warns the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) and the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).

Nigerians are facing the risk of more deaths as fewer people will access adequate care as the on-going indefinite nationwide strike continues say experts.

A visit to General hospital Apapa, Ajeromi General Hospital, Ajegunle and General hospital Ikorodu shows skeletal services were offer at the emergency unit with fewer than three doctors, while few remaining patients had to wait endlessly believing they will be attended to.

These General Hospitals were seen deserted, although some of the health workers turned up at work, they did not attend to patients.

One of the patients who spoke to BusinessDay at the Apapa General hospital said, who does not want to be identified said “I was directed to get the registration card for consultation  and later was told I cannot be attended to because they are on strike.” According to her, “I will wait; maybe God will touch their heart to attend to me because I am very sick.”

“Government needs to call off this strike, we do not want to die in our homes because we cannot access care” she said.

Another patient Margret Udoh called on the Federal Government to look into the issue as she lamented that the strike is causing strike of death among Nigerians, according to her, “as I speak, I do not know if I will be attended to but government need to take actions because doctors working alone is making the work very slow.”

“I am here for my ante -natal checks and I have not been attended to by any of the nurses or other hospital workers,” said Udoh

BusinessDay’s investigations found that the environs of these facilities were surrounded by police men fully armed.

Doyin Odubanjo, chairman, Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria, Lagos Chapter, said hospital can and will continue to function with doctors alone, however, given that they cannot function maximally, they will attend to fewer people. “If this continues, there will be more deaths as fewer people will access healthcare.

“There is a lot of breakdown already; checks in the facilities have shown that essential services and healthcare delivery at the state and local government levels have significantly dropped as a result of the strike” said Odubanjo