Consultants come to rescue of Nigerians

Consultants yesterday came to salvage the situation at Ahmadu Bello Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), as patients strive for medical attention.

The Guardian gathered that fresh patients with serious ailments were rejected, while those already on admission, prior to the strike, were attended to by the consultants and nurses.

A patient, Hajia Rabi Usman, who was unhappy with the development, said: “I have been down with malaria for the past two weeks. I have been to a private hospital in my neighbourhood, but the symptoms refused to go. So, the only alternative I thought I had for a comprehensive treatment is a teaching hospital, but here we are seeing doctors on strike. So, we are now at the mercy of private hospitals which are not as competent and equipped as the government ones.”

The Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof. Lawal Khalid, said: “The hospital management had made an arrangement where consultants and house officers would be providing skeletal services to ameliorate the effect of the strike.”

He continued: “Our accident and emergency unit is functional to take care of emergency cases and some consultants and house officers are also engaged in the provision of skeletal services to our patients.

“Even today (yesterday) our clinic provided services and it would continue, because we won’t allow things to be completely paralysed.”