By Fatima Mohammed-Lawal
The Association of Resident Doctors, Kwara State University Teaching Hospital (ARD-KWASUTH) on Friday said doctors of the hospital have joined the nationwide strike actions over unmet demands.
Dr Abdulfatah Abdulazeez, the President of ARD-KWASUTH who stated this during a news conference in Ilorin, explained that the doctors have been patient for long in order to give ample opportunity for the state government to meet their demands.
He however observed that the State has allowed the issues and demands to linger for too long without any commitment.
“We engaged in amicable communication and meetings with the authority. Our demands are still not met.
“Recently the National Association of Resident Doctors embarked on a nationwide indefinite strike actions. They have 19 point agenda that are pertinent to all the resident doctors in Nigeria,” he said.
Abdulazeez pointed out that there are some demands that is peculiar to the KWASUTH, which was tabled before the state government.
He commended Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his efforts including payment of the MRTF and commencement of the Consolidated Medical Salary 2024.
He however observed that there are still some areas that needed addressing which still pose challenge to the healthcare system in Kwara.
“The first demand we issued was manpower and staffing. There have been chronic depletion of doctors employed and the ones on ground are leaving.
“This is being compounded by the fact that the House-Officers are the cushion to the effect of lack of manpower,” he said.
Abdulazeez lamented that doctors leave the hospital because of exhaustion, burn-out and lack of amenities including water and power supply which have remained epileptic.
“The remuneration is too low, in all the neighbouring states healthcare institutions, Kwara is the one with the lowest pay for House-Officers, which is to the tune of N220,000 only.
“The doctors in this hospital are overworked. The World Health Organisation has recommended a doctor ratio of one to 600, but in Nigeria it is one to 10,000.
“Here in KWASUTH, it is worst, you can imagine the amount of stress we are going through. We have given ample time for the problem to be addressed but it is lingering long. It is becoming chronic and serious problem,” he lamented.
The President of ARD-KWASUTH warns that that doctors are not super-humans and they get tired just like anybody while saying that a ‘tired doctor is a dangerous doctor”.
He added that the Call-room where doctors rest after a long shift hours are deplorable, while the Call-meal that are being served to them as food is not fit for consumption.
Abdulazeez appealed to the government that they remain committed towards the development of the healthcare sector in Kwara and will continue to partner with government to improve the system.
In his reaction, the Deputy Chief Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), Dr Obalowu Ismaila, stated that the management of the KWASUTH is aware of the decision by the ARD to join the nation wide strike actions.
“They are mandated by their national body to join the nationwide strike and since they belong to the same association, they had their meeting yesterday and they informed us they will be joining,” he said.
He pointed out that the ARD-KWASUTH has been having support of the state government, while reiterating the government resolve to address the issue of manpower.
Ismaila however pointed out that the issue of Japa syndrome is not peculiar to Kwara but has become a nationwide challenges that Nigeria is grappling with.
“The governor has given approval for us to employ more doctors and the approval is still standing, but the problem we are having is Japa syndrome.
“Most of the doctors, even when they are in medical school, are already writing foreign exams and by the time you’re waiting for them to finish internship, they are gone,” lamented.
Ismaila appealed to the doctors that the state government have policies in place to develop special programmes for young doctors so that they can serve the state for some years, adding that it will be like a bonding programme.
He explained that this will ensure that more younger doctors stay behind to work for the Kwara Government.
