Activities at the government hospitals have been crippled following the commencement of the indefinite strike action of medical doctors. Patients in government hospitals were yesterday thrown into confusion as doctors refused to attend to patients.
The nationwide strike has also left many patients stranded due to quick discharge of patients in various hospitals. Patients who were discharged complained that the strike took them by surprise.
The nurses who are up in arms with the doctors have taken over the running of activities at the hospitals.  In most hospitals visited in Abuja, the nurses were seen attending to patients.
However, patients with serious issues are been moved to private hospitals for medical attention as at yesterday sone of the hospitals have stopped admitting fresh cases.
At Wuse Hospital, the situation is not different as Nurses were seen attending to patients on admission. Some of the doctors who were around only offered skeletal services. The hospital which used to be jam-parked was deserted, with the nurses been the most visible health workers on ground.
At the National Hospital, the situation is not different. Most of the Patients were caught unaware and are throwing into a confused state.
Many have resigned to fate as they said they don’t know what to do with the strike as they claimed that they never prepared for it.
While some who could pull resources together were seen making preparations to move to private hospitals.
 
However, in the meantime, the National Hospital Management according to its spokesperson, Tayo Haastrup, has put measures in place to take care of patients pending when the issues between the doctors and Federal Government are resolved.
He also assured that while patients with lesser health challenges will be discharge, those under critical conditions will continue to receive attention.
He said: “What the management of the hospital has put in place is to make sure that are in the wards are well taken care of and also the ones that are due for discharge we will actually discharge them. But the ones that are actually in critical conditions, we can’t be discharging a patient that is in Intensive Care Unit (ICV) and we can’t be discharging a patient that cannot walk in orthopaedic or in a very serious conditions. We can’t do that. We will make arrangement to make sure that we take care of them. So that is the situation that is on now in the National Hospital. If you see people that have been discharged, that means that their cases are not serious, they are very stable and they can go home.
“Our patient that are in ICU are there, where do we discharge them.
We have put machineries in place to take care of the patients that are in the ward.”
On what kind of measures the hospital has in place, Haastrup said: “Assuming we have an accident victim that is about to die which is an emergency, NMA will not say we should not take care of such. Probably the senior ones. The Consultants are expected to even attend to such patients to stabilise them. The purpose of doctors is to save lives. A doctor cannot see a patient dying and refuse to attend to him.
On impact, he said:” There is no way you will not have any impact when there is strike in the health sector. It has to do with lives. There is no way one or two people will not die in this process. Even some other hospitals that don’t have good ICU, of course taking a patient out of such places, before they get to other hospitals, they might give up. It cut across everywhere.
The most important thing is for our elderly citizens to intervene into is so that we can come around it and come back to work. It is having an impact and it will definitely continue to have an impact if urgent measures are not taken.
At Asokoro General Hospital, a source who didn’t want his name disclosed said management meeting was held yesterday morning in order to reduce the impact of the strike.
Our reporter learnt that Doctors who were around the hospital only assisted the management in discharging patients while others who came to observe happenings in the hospital closed earlier than the normal closing time.
Speaking about the outcome of the meeting, he said: “the management decided that House Officers should attend to critical cases in the ward while other patients will be discharged.
“Only Senior doctors and Consultants are excepted from the strike for now because of the court order.
“The management also decided that emergency cases only will be attended to as from today (yesterday) and that includes bomb blast victims.
“Roaster has been made for House Officers who will be attending to emergency cases throughout the period of the strike.
He added: “For the period of strike, clinic will not open.
He was optimistic that the strike will not last long.
“I am optimistic that the strike will not last long because it will affect a lot of people and I am sure the Federal government will yield to the demands of doctors, which will help in restoring sustainable sanity in patient care in Nigerian hospitals.”

http://www.nursingworldnigeria.com/2014/07/professional-nurses-take-over-running-of-abuja-hospitals

I think the doctors should be dealt with this time around. They benefit a lot from strike actions ranging from getting their full pay without work to diverting patients to their private hospitals.

GEJ and Minister of Health should do the needful.

What are they waiting for?

some doctors are still working yet when johesu goes on strike they switch of power supply even to the ICU. I hope Nigerians are watching..

!

@Phantom, it's a lie! Johesu can't and has no right to switch off power supply. Please stop feeding people with lies. The Doctors are just being too irrational, they are notjust fighting for themselves but against others*nd my question is "WHY"

Apitch: @Phantom, it's a lie! Johesu can't and has no right to switch off power supply. Please stop feeding people with lies. The Doctors are just being too irrational, they are notjust fighting for themselves but against others*nd my question is "WHY"

calm down. it had been done before.they switched off power supply to the ICU and during surgeries . the lab guys locked up reagents. this has happened before.

phantom: calm down. it had been done before.they switched off power supply to the ICU and during surgeries . the lab guys locked up reagents. this has happened before.

Well, there is no way your claims can be verified since we have a lot of public hospitals in the country and what is obtainable at one may not be at the other.

My own position is clear on this issue. Whenever NMA go on strike for whatever reason, it shouldn't be only the patients and helpless masses that suffer but the Drs. must sacrifice something as well which must include not getting paid while the industrial action lasts.

Afterall, no gain without sacrifice.

phantom: calm down. it had been done before.they switched off power supply to the ICU and during surgeries . the lab guys locked up reagents. this has happened before.

Why didn't you mention that during the last JOHESU stike this year. Intern and Chief Scientists, Pharmacists, etc all stayed at their duty post as the most senior officers?

Selective amnesia, i guess

Ely why I said it's a lie! They do skeletal service and they don't lock nada!
From the way u talk, phantom, I can tell u are a dr so pls why are u guys so selfish and how come 90percent or more of U behave same way? Is it taught in school?

is not there fault there oga dont taught them medical ethics that is why they behave like a murderer

funny enough every JOHESU strike i have experienced involved locking of doors and equipment. so i concur.

armadeo: funny enough every JOHESU strike i have experienced involved locking of doors and equipment. so i concur.

That is their power na, to lock the doors, look equipments and hide reagents so that doctors do not function.

Apitch: @Phantom, it's a lie! Johesu can't and has no right to switch off power supply. Please stop feeding people with lies. The Doctors are just being too irrational, they are notjust fighting for themselves but against others*nd my question is "WHY"

He's not lying... It happened where I'm training, NAUTH. So get your facts right before saying someone else is lying!

armadeo: funny enough every JOHESU strike i have experienced involved locking of doors and equipment. so i concur.

No be only you my brother! Every single time, and not just to lock doors and reagents but also to take the keys home, and then come the next day to make sure the doors has not been broken down.

Apitch: @Phantom, it's a lie! Johesu can't and has no right to switch off power supply. Please stop feeding people with lies. The Doctors are just being too irrational, they are notjust fighting for themselves but against others*nd my question is "WHY"

it has happened before... The labs were locked up, the icu was shut down... This issue isnt one-sided, johesu has also done alot of nasty things in the past