- Acting CMD says ‘no cause for alarm’
By Praise Necherem
Patients at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, Anambra State were gripped with fear on Monday following the nationwide strike embarked on by the state branch of National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
President of NAUTH, Nnewi branch of the association, Dr Golibe Ikpeze in a chat with reporters said the branch joined the strike at 8:00am, after being briefed to comply with the parent body’s directives.
He said the striking doctors at the hospital had already left clinical services in the hands of the Consultants and others who are not members of the NARD, explaining that the patients were briefed about the development with the assurance that the Consultants were still on ground.
He said, “As members of the NARD, we ensure one hundred percent compliance to the strike which was the resolution we had after a meeting in Umuahia, Abia State.
“None of us would go against that. Doctors are still in the hospital who are not our members. Our members counselled the patients on what is happening and we handed over the care to Consultants.
“We have given the Federal Government more than 100 days to address the issues at stake to no avail which included paucity of doctors, non-payment of salaries owed and allowances, issues of recruitment, postings of house officers and all of that.
“We have complained to make sure that these issues are resolved but they are still there and nobody is doing anything about them.”
While lamenting that the body was still grappling with the Covid-19 surge with government doing nothing to appreciate the hazards the doctors face, Ikpeze regretted that Federal Government did not seem to demonstrate any commitment to some of the NARD members who have “fallen in the line of service”.
He explained that the NAUTH NARD members would always comply with the national body to resume duties anytime the Federal Government complied.
Reacting, Acting Chief Medical Director of the NAUTH, Dr Joseph Ugboaja assured hospital’s continued commitment to ensuring patients were adequately taken care of.
“The Consultants and other health workers will be doing their job as the issues are being resolved. We urge patients not to panic as the hospital will not rest on its oars in its efforts to care for them,” he added.