LUTH might be unable to deliver adequate medical services for a short while as the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Lagos University Teaching Hospital,LUTH, chapter, Idi-Araba, Lagos, yesterday, embarked on a three-day warning strike in compliance with the directive from the association‘s national body.
Dr. Emeka Ugwu, President of the association, LUTH chapter, confirmed the strike in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Lagos.
Ugwu said doctors at the hospital had complied with directive, noting that few members were operating skeletal services at the accident and emergency unit.
He said the strike was to address the lapses on the side of government to improve healthcare delivery in the country.
The president of the association, however, appealed to Nigerians to bear with the doctors and join them in fighting the just cause.
He said that the consultants were attending to the patients since they were not on strike, saying “There had been 21-day ultimatum before this strike. So, what the association is requesting, budgetary provision are for training of specialists in Nigeria, funding for residency training in Nigeria, among others.
“We appreciate the effort of the current Minister of Health for including some funds in this year’s budget for training, but it is grossly insufficient.
“So, in LUTH because we are part of the national body, we have joined the strike, but we are providing services for patients that come to the accident and emergency department so that we can prevent people from dying because of this unfortunate three- day warning strike.
“We are not running clinics, we are not doing the non emergency services; the consultants are not on strike. ‘So, we believe that Nigerian people shoul also help us to prevail upon the government to make sure that our hospitals are standardised and then the training of specialists in Nigeria should be comparable with what is obtainable all over the world.
“But, we want to appeal to Nigerians to bear with us and to know that we have their interests at heart.“
Dr Osahon Enabulele, National President, Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, had on Monday called on the Federal Government to prepare a supplementary budget that would cater for the training of resident doctors nation-wide.