Patients Face Challenges Due to Ongoing Doctor Strike
At the Federal Teaching Hospital in Gombe, patients have been experiencing significant difficulties due to a prolonged strike by members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD). The disruption has affected medical services across the facility, leading to frustration among those seeking treatment.
According to findings by The PUNCH, consultants have temporarily taken over clinical duties to prevent a complete shutdown of medical activities. However, the situation remains challenging for patients who rely on these services.
At the General Outpatients Department (GOPD), only 25 patients were attended to by the available physician—far below the usual number of 40. Many individuals who arrived as early as 6 am found themselves unattended, causing disappointment and inconvenience.
One patient, Grace John, had already paid the ₦500 follow-up consultation fee before realizing that the quota had been filled. She expressed her frustration, stating, “It’s painful that I came out only to waste my time. So, if I was dying now, that is how I would have been abandoned. I just have to go and return later. I paid ₦500 consultation fee to fast-track the process, only to find out they had already exceeded their target.”
Another resident of Gombe, who wished to remain anonymous while seeking medical attention for her brother with a liver ailment, also voiced her concerns. She said, “I really need to get a number for my brother to see the doctor, but I was told that they have exceeded the number they planned to see. This is very sad. I hope this strike won’t cause further damage.”
Similarly, Fatima Abass, who arrived at the hospital early, lamented that she could not make the list due to the strike. She said, “I was here as early as 6 a.m., yet I couldn’t get the chance to see the doctor. This is so sad. What sort of country and system do we have? This is the only thing the masses benefit from, yet the government and doctors play with it.”
In a telephone interview, Dr. Kefas Wida, former Vice President of NARD, criticized the poor welfare of doctors, calling the situation unsustainable. He stated, “I’m not talking as the spokesperson of the association but as one who has been in it for long. As a matter of fact, I just qualified as a consultant now. We have been in this struggle year after year over doctors’ welfare—it’s obvious to the blind.”
Wida highlighted the challenges faced by doctors, including being overworked and underpaid. He added, “We have a system where some people just wake up and decide that doctors don’t have a life. There are institutions today where one or two resident doctors run entire departments. How is that done anywhere in the world? Apart from that, if these individuals are overworked, why should they not have something extra, especially when the majority of doctors have left the country?”
He noted that despite several agreements with the government, issues of unpaid allowances remain unresolved. “The last time NARD went on strike was three years ago. The allowance that was agreed upon three years ago, we are still talking about it. Have you ever seen government owing politicians allowances? They always pay themselves, but those that are doing the work—they will say there is no money. But when it comes to them, there will be money,” he said.
Wida also discussed the heavy personal cost of medical training and professional examinations. “I just qualified as a consultant. If I tell you the amount of money I spent to qualify—calculate flight from Gombe to Lagos, round trip, plus the fees I paid for the examination—it’s close to a million naira. When you calculate how many months of my complete salary I spent to fund that, unfortunately, no one is talking,” he added.
He urged the government to prioritize the healthcare sector, emphasizing that many doctors work under severe fatigue. “Government should pay attention to the healthcare sector because a lot of things are going wrong. Sometimes, we work for two days without rest. The next patient you will see, I’m not sure you will even be in the right frame of mind,” he said.
Wida continued, “Today, a lot has changed in the economy, which has affected everyone, including doctors. The worst part of it is that government has not seen reasons to negotiate with us. What we heard is that they want to implement a ‘no work, no pay’ policy. So far, we are not even paid. If you refuse to pay, how different is it from what you are already doing? We have to be responsible in this country.”