Our Lives Are Not Safe in the Hands of Baby Doctors - Lagosians


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Reactions have been trailing the employment of what Lagosians have termed 'baby doctors' in place of the sacked doctors in Lagos State Government hospitals. Lagosians especially those seeking medical attention in the state hospitals have expressed doubts over the appointment of newly graduated doctors, raising questions if they would be able to proffer solutions to critical situations.

An encounter recently in the Island Maternity Hospital, Lagos revealed that baby doctors attending to patients have not only been finding it difficult to address some strident issues with the patients but also are unable to handle some of the prevailing situations.

Although, the doctors are now seen in all the state owned hospitals attending the patients, nothing seems to be working as these doctors are according to the patients incompetent and inexperienced. One of the patients who spoke to us said their impact is yet to be felt in the lives of patients.

A visit to one of the hospitals during the ante-natal clinic on Tuesday revealed that some of the pregnant women who were lining up to be attended to, were yet to come to terms with the reason for the face-off.

In a gathering of more than twenty-five women who were waiting for doctors as at 11.30 am, the bone of contention was the on-going face-off between the State Government and doctors as they discussed the issue in hushed tones.

One of the women, who wouldn't want her name in print told the reporter that since the emergence of the baby doctors, there have been series of complaints from patients who have had cause to meet one-on-one with baby doctors. And in all, their complaints were basically issues of competency.

Without mincing words, she said, "the truth is that, I have been sitting down here for the past two hours and I don't know if any doctor is attending to people yet but I saw one particular doctor whose face wasn't familiar and I don't know what is happening".

Asked if she was aware that doctors have been sacked, she said, "I only knew that the doctors were on strike, I don't know if they have been sacked. What I know is that, I haven't been seeing those former doctors, I thought it was the strike thing that is keeping them away from the hospital", she answered.

Another woman who joined in the discussion said, "the fact that new doctors have been employed doesn't make any difference. Citing some encounters with the new doctors, she said, "Most of the people who have had cause to meet with these new doctors haven't any good news about them.

"A particular woman told me that the new doctor attending to her has no experience whatsoever to attend to health issues. For instance, imagine a doctor asking a woman who was already in her Estimated Date of Delivery, EDD, if her pregnancy was just sixth months old. He didn't take his time to go through the woman's record to know what the issue is", she ended.

Then, another woman said, "I don't know why state government should put its people in such a horrible situation. If it is going to sack doctors, at least, those who will be brought in should be competent enough to attend to critical health issues", she said.

"Right now, our lives are not secured, we are not even sure of the doctor who will be attending to us. And they know that we are handicapped".

Lagos State Governor, Fashola

Another woman who has had experience of the 2010 doctors' strike said, "Ãè remember my experience last time when these same doctors went on strike. A particular doctor in this hospital introduced my husband and I to his private hospital in Lagos. We were left with no choice than to subscribe to his referral. Unfortunately, the doctor made us pay through our nose. The first experience came when he said, " You will have to do a scan to ascertain the position of the baby and that will cost you the sum of five thousand naira only, N5,000.00.

"Then, he said, we should deposit the sum of thirty-five thousand naira, N35,000.00 and after the delivery, we will pay a balance of sixty thousand naira, N60,000.00. It was hell that day. My husband started running helter skelter and to worsen the situation, we were to pay before the doctor could attend to us", she continued.

"Unfortunately, we couldn't afford the bills, the balance and so we sought help in traditional birth attendants, TBA in my area and as God would have it, everything went well. And now, I am pregnant again, history has repeated itself, but, I don't pray to go through that rigour again. That is why we are begging our Governor to help call back all these doctors so that our lives can be secured", she lamented.

Some of the women who had different opinions on the issue said, "we don't even know why doctors should go on strike in the first place when all what they know is to refer people to their private hospitals. At least, we know of some doctors in this hospital that refer people to their private hospitals. They even recommend those hospitals for us to go and conduct scan and anyone who fails to bring report from those hospitals will not be recognised or even be attended to.

"So, if they decided to go on strike at the expense of people's lives then, God will judge them accordingly", they chorused. The biggest problem is the issue with baby doctors that are newly employed. They are not experienced and their mode of operation has been totally different from the former doctors. We believe the Governor should consider our lives and recall the doctors so that there can be peace in this state.

"Government is aware of our predicament and it shouldn't be compounded by sending doctors away. I believe there is room for dialogue so that everybody can be happy thereafter. And the doctors should be placed in strategic situations especially to oversee the baby doctors so that they can learn faster", another patient cuts in.

Asked if there is need to curb the excesses of doctors, she said, "For me, I believe government has a lot to do in that regard. For instance, there should be a task force put in place to monitor the activities of doctors such that if there is anyone who engages in any funny act like diverting drugs to his or her private hospital, such a person should be sanctioned. And anyone who refers patients to his private hospital should be reported and government must take lawful decision on such individual", she opined.

Meanwhile, after the court ruling sometime in the week, Chairman of the Medical Guild, Dr. Olumuyiwa Odusote said: "It was a fair outing, the Judge pronounced there would not be eviction of any of the doctors and we are rest assured on that. By and large it was a fair outing and we are satisfied."

On the eviction order, he noted that the Medical Guild was aware of the counter order given by Governor Babatunde Fashola, even though there were no documents to back it up. "We could not rely on that and we were only being careful. Now those who have moved out can return based on the court ruling".

Face-off dangerous as it involves lives

Meanwhile, when Saturday Vanguard visited Lagos metropolis, it was revealed that the on-going problem has not only put fear in the minds of the people but it is also capable of endangering the lives of the people of the State.

For Mr. Akin Jimoh, a media practitioner and programme director, Devcoms Networks, "the on-going problem has shown a breakdown in communication between the State government and the doctors. It shows that dialogue has not been able to solve the problem. Both parties are holding to their own polemics without looking at the other side of the coin.

"And in a situation like this, nobody can say, he or she is totally right or the other party is totally wrong. So, we have to look at it holistically. What is the state of health care delivery in Lagos State and when we are talking about health care delivery, is it only in the teaching hospitals alone? We are talking holistically at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. This situation has been there from time immemorial.

A typical scene at an emergency ward of a Lagos State government hospital before the protracted doctors strike.

And everybody knows that during the military regime, what they usually say is that "our hospitals have been turned to mere consulting clinics". They give that as a reason for taking over. But the question is, are these hospitals up to standard at the moment? Have they really turned the bend to say that we have standardised health facilities in the country? It is not enough when we point at one facility and we leave out others.

"The question is, do we have a better healthcare system? Are they being professional about their jobs? Do we have situations whereby, we have been able to address some of the common health issues in the state? People are quick to pass blames but we need to remember that individuals have a role to play. If there is an agreement, what are the terms of the agreement? The truth is that Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, has been at the fore-front of the issue that has to do with medical practice in this country.

"When one looks at the agitation during the military regime, during the Buhari/Idiagbon era, issues like this made some doctors flee the country for fear of arrest. And when one takes a look at the on-going crisis, the same people that sacked doctors now were part of the people who were agitating for better medical service in those days but now they form part of the team that is sacking those doctors.

"And if the government says, it is bringing in new doctors, the question that will be going through the minds of the people is the fact that the new doctors are without experience and so, how do they fit into attending to critical issues? If an inexperienced doctor is brought in to attend to patients, then the lives of the patients are at stake. And in a situation where three hundred inexperienced doctors are employed to replace professionals and experts, then, there is need for a sober reflection.

"And if government says, it would bring in private doctors who will provide service free of charge; the question is, is that the whole truth because I am yet to see a doctor who will leave his own private job to go and work freely for government. I see a situation whereby people will suffer. The fact is that some of the doctors' mates have sought greener pastures in other countries but these ones have decided to work in their fathers' land.

"And unfortunately, the same doctor will be expected to oversee more than one hundred patients in a day. Those are pressing issues in our federal, state and local government levels. And when we start passing blames, the fact is that lots of people are dying.

"So, there is need for both parties to dialogue. It is a shame that those who are in power in this country get their treatment outside the country whenever they have issues. A good leader will access healthcare from within and send their children to public schools so that public schools will change", he concluded.

For Dauda Daud, a motor cyclist, the present situation in the healthcare system is not encouraging and therefore, it shouldn't be compounded. According to her, "when two elephants fight, the grass suffers. I believe people will suffer because the new doctors are not experienced. The truth is that the two parties should learn to swallow their pride and come to a compromise so that the doctors can return to their work or the poor masses are the ones that would bear the brunt.

"If government is going to employ new doctors, they must be well trained on the job. Sack of doctors in this country is a taboo because we are talking about the lives of people. Already, the scenario in hospital environment is not encouraging because there are no drugs and no good healthcare facilities. Negligence and other factors are discouraging people from accessing good healthcare service in the country. It's just like a child who is not being taken care of. Such a child will be violent in the city.

"So, if the state government refuses to take care of its doctors, then, there will be a problem. And for things to be better, government must be responsible. The truth is that most of the government officials do not access healthcare in this country and so it is not possible for them to know what people are passing through especially since the strike problem began."

A man who does not want his name mentioned said, "It is wrong for government to have sacked its doctors. Instead, more deliberations and dialogue should have been encouraged. Government should be humble enough to listen to the yearnings of the doctors instead of sacking them", he said.

Meanwhile, Badmus' opinion is that the two parties should learn to consider other people when taking certain decisions. "I think the two sides should come to a compromise because it is a serious issue that involves lives. "And by the virtue of the doctor's profession, it is a sensitive thing and that is why they should put their plans into consideration. I think, there is need for both parties to sit together in a round table and look for a way forward. The new doctors are not experienced and therefore it is dangerous to be playing with people's lives.

"My opinion is that government should reinstate the doctors. The new doctors should not be used as instruments to jeopardise the lives of the people,"he added . Another motorist also joined in the support for everybody to settle the case amicably. "It is better to settle amicably with experienced doctors because the new doctors do not have what it takes to take care of patients especially critical conditions".

This sack has the potential of completely destroying the sector - Dr. Odusote

Meanwhile the Chairman of the Medical Guide, Dr. Olumuyiwa Odusote spoke after the court ruling during the week on the pronouncement by the Justice Benedict Kanyip of the Industrial Court, that Lagos state government should step down the eviction notice it served the sacked doctors.

According to him, "it was a fair outin. The judge pronounced there would not be eviction of any of the doctors and we are rest assured on that. By and large, it was a fair outing and we are satisfied."

On the eviction order, he noted that the Medical Guild was aware of the counter order given by Governor Babatunde Fashola even though there were no documents to back it up. "We could not rely on that and we were only being careful. Now, those who have moved out can move back based on the court ruling.

Dr. Olumuyiwa Odusote, described the decision of the state government to negotiate with medical doctors after they have been sacked as deceptive. "I do not think this government realises what it has done. This sack has the potential of completely destroying the health care system of the state.You will remember that during the Buhari era when doctors were sacked, that led to a massive exodus of doctors to other countries and that was the beginning of brain drain which the nation has not recovered from. What is going to happen is that there will be a massive brain drain of doctors in Lagos.

"It is just unfortunate that the Lagos State government is embarking on this illegal act at a time the Federal Government is still trying to bring back those doctors sacked during the Buhari era from abroad. I'm sure those that want to come back are going to have a rethink."

Asked what would happen if the doctors are called back, he said, "We will not reject any opportunity to serve this country in any capacity but this government is lying. On Saturday, we were at the negotiation table with this government but meanwhile, they had signed our dismissal letters on Friday before coming to the meeting and they are now saying they are open to dialogue".

The commissioner told us at the meeting and I quote him that this (sacking of doctors) was the government policy and they were not going back that was why the Saturday meeting was deadlocked. If they are serious, the whole world will know, how can you say I have employed people to take over your job and you say you are open to dialogue? What is the dialoguing about?

On the massive sack, he said, "The matter is still court and it is capable of challenging this illegal act of government. Thank God, there is still rule of law in Nigeria and Lagos as part of Nigeria must believe in the rule of law. To let Nigerians know, the Nigerian Medical Association has taken over the issue, the Medical Guild will now take a back seat. This is an assault on the medical profession.

"This profession has being in existence before anyone of them came into government. And after they leave, the medical profession will continue to exist, so there is no government that can kill the medical profession. This is happening because these people, the commissioners do not use public hospitals. Until we are able to pass a law that criminalises any government official from going abroad for medical treatment, they will not look inward and fix the health sector of the country", he said