Patients Groan In Gombe Teaching Hospital As Strike Persists

HUNDREDS of patients presently on admission in the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe state, are groaning, following the on-going strike action embarked on by the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) in the hospital.

While patients are groaning, private hospitals and health facilities have been observed to be benefiting from the crisis as most patients now seek healthcare services in private hospitals.

Some of the striking resident doctors and consultants of the hospital were seen rendering services in most of the private hospitals visited by The Guardian.

Pregnant women who often visit the hospital for their antenatal care (ANC) are most hit by the strike.

The Guardian observed that patients on admission at the teaching hospital were being managed by nurses and other staff, and whom The Guardian reliably gathered are at the verge of treading the path of the resident doctors.

ARD members have been on strike because of issues bordering on welfare packages. Some of the demands by the doctors include implementation of skipping allowance, which they said, is being relegated to the background by the Federal Government.

A top management of the hospital and who spoke on the issue felt sad that in spite of all the efforts put in place to appease the doctors, the doctors still embark on strike.

The management member of staff, who asked not to be quoted called on the Federal Government to harmonise salaries of all public servants, adding that salaries” may differ in allowance based on the type of services public servants rendered.”

President of Gombe State branch of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr Adamu Bojude, said relevant measures are being harness to end the strike.

Bojude said: “ We are on it. We had series of meetings with the relevant people. We are working, and we are trying to understand each other.”