As National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD)’s strike action entered its third day, relatives of patients have moved their Patients from the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) to General Hospital in Calabar and other private health facilities in the state for health services.
DAILY POST visited the UCTH in Calabar on Wednesday and observed that many beds in the hospital are unoccupied as the occupants have been moved to other health institutions.
NARD had embarked on an indefinite strike which commenced on Monday. The group accused the federal government of not funding the training of doctors which has frustrated the profession in the country.
Some of the Doctors who spoke with our Correspondent lamented the situation their current situation, explaining that there has been incessant disharmony in the health sector owing to the inability of various government agencies to abide by agreements reached or obey extant circulars.
A Doctor who pleaded anonymity said that the July 14, 2016 stakeholders meeting chaired by Hon. Yakubu Dogara revealed that resident doctors were made to work under very unfavourable conditions, thus adding to their frustration which, according to him, is vented on the patients.
He maintained that funding post-graduate medical education in the country will ensure that the current brain drain in the profession is stemmed while the number of those going for medical tourism abroad reduced to the barest minimum.
“It is heart breaking that in this era of change, resident doctors who are the pillars of the medical workforce, working under the most unbearable conditions with resilience and doggedness will be abysmally remunerated and treated with contempt by our employers with unwanted delays in the payment of our salaries, and paid fractions when eventually paid,”
The Vice President of Association of Resident Doctors, UCTH, Dr Idara Akpakpan told DAILY POST that the strike was very effective as virtually all the resident Doctors were observing the strike action.
He said that the hospital had about 100 residents doctors but maintained that the consultants in the hospital are rendering skeletal services. He promised to give details of the strike shortly after the meeting currently going on with various stake holders.
Sadly, at the time of filling this report, some patients were seen leaving the hospital for lack of doctors to look at their health problems.
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