- As Hospital Suspends Admission Of New Patients, Surgeries
- Emergency, GOP Units Remain Open
- Medical Services Ongoing At Asaba Specialist Hospital
BY EDNA EMENI/ROSEMARY NWAEBUNI/EVELYN ZORZOR/CHIKA KWAMBA
THE nationwide strike embarked upon by Consultant Medical Doctors is taking a toll on services rendered at the Federal Medical Center (FMC), Asaba, the Delta State capital, with neither new admissions of patients nor surgeries taking place.
Speaking to The Pointer, the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Victor Osiatuma said the strike was called by the Medical/ Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, to which the FMC, Asaba branch is a signatory.
Therefore, he said, “in compliance, consultant doctors in FMC do not have a choice but to obey the Associations directive”.
New patients, Osiatuma said, are usually admitted under the care of specific consultants, and such consultants are expected to take full responsibility of such patients, but with the strike, there is no way the Centre can admit new patients, as it can’t do so under Resident Doctors. However, he said, the Emergency Unit of the Centre is open for services, where Resident Doctors are taking charge. “Our General Out Patients’ Unit is also open for services, but no new admissions and Surgeries are allowed, as the centre is only presently managing patients in it’s custody,” Dr Osiatuma added.
However, investigations by The Pointer revealed that normal medical services are ongoing at the Delta State-owned Asaba Specialist Hospital (ASH), with little or no effect of the strike.
It would be recalled that the strike, which began on Monday, 18 November, is expected to run through to Sunday, 24 November, and will affect all Nigerian public Universities and hospitals.
In an interview with our correspondent, Dr. Aghalor Amechi, a representative of the Association, said that the decision to strike stemmed from a series of policy decisions that had negatively impacted the medical profession, particularly within public universities. He highlighted the on-going dispute regarding the appointment of a Vice- Chancellors at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
According to him, a distinguished professor who had long been qualified for the position of Vice-Chancellor was recently disqualified due to new policies that MDCAN are unfairly restrictive, which is creating a big problem.
He also criticised a policy that restricts medical doctors and professors from becoming vice-chancellors, arguing that it undermines the years of training and experience that medical professionals undergo.
“A medical student spends over six years in university, enduring a rigorous curriculum,” he explained. “Upon graduation, he should be able to transition directly into a full-time lecturing role, rather than relegated to the position of a Graduate Assistant, as is the case for other graduates with Master’s degrees or PhD holders, who typically enter at a Lecturer II level”. This policy, he said, fails to recognise the extensive training and expertise that medical professionals bring to academic institutions.”
“The MDCAN strike is, therefore, aimed at drawing attention to these critical issues. I, therefore, urge the government to take immediate action to resolve the ongoing challenges facing the medical profession”, he added.
