Patients and their relations in Gusau and Benin on Friday called for care and love as the JOHESU nationwide strike entered its third day.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Zamfara and Edo States reported that normal healthcare services have been disrupted by the strike.
While some patients were seen being attended to by some doctors, relatives of others were seen evacuating their sick ones from the hospitals for alternative medicine.
They all appealed to government to address the demands of the striking healthcare workers in order to strengthen the health sector.
They also called on the aggrieved workers to consider their plight and save lives.
In Gusau, the management of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) has made arrangement for skeletal services to cushion the effect of the strike on patients.
However, NAN observed that the medical and surgical wards of the hospital were empty as all patients were discharged due inadequate manpower to manage them.
The accidents and emergency ward, paediatric unit and labour room were the busiest areas in the hospital.
Other departments in the hospital like Pharmacy, Laboratory and Medical Records were all managed by the heads of the departments.
A medical doctor, who preferred anonymity, told NAN that humanity was considered very important in medical service.
“In this regard, attention is given to emergency cases in order to avoid loss of lives during the industrial action,’’ the source said.
A patient’s relative, Malama Hauwau Suleiman, said her child was managed well, adding “as you can see there are about five doctors in the ward right now.
“We are not facing any problem even though there is strike in the hospital’’.
NAN also reports that services were also being offered at the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) clinic of the hospital where patients were seen waiting to see doctors.
Similarly, NAN also reports that there was no much increased in patients trooping to private hospitals as other state healthcare facilities in the state remained opened.
A report from Benin said some pregnant women had accused JOHESU members of insensitivity to their plight. The aggrieved women told NAN that the industrial action took them unawares.
They claimed that the industrial action was targeted at them as some of them were getting close to their Expected Date of Delivery (EDD).
Mrs Agnes Osamudiame told NAN that she was in the last phase of her third trimester, and was in the hospital for her weekly antenatal check, but did not see any medical staff to attend to her for hours.
She, however, pleaded with the government to urgently attend to the demands of the striking health workers, saying that their services were indispensable.
Mrs Ifueko Omoruyi, another pregnant woman, said they should be taken into consideration before any strike by those in the health sector, suggesting that alternative arrangement of accessing medical services should be provided for them.
“Most of us are due in few days, so what do we do now? The doctors should be able to join voices with other health workers so that government can resolve the issue and save us this pain,” Omoruyi said.
Also, a man who simply gave his name as Mr Nwogheren, claimed that his pregnant wife died as a result of the strike.
The management of the hospital led by the Chief Medical Director, Dr Darlington Obaseki, is yet to react to the development.
