Following the directory of the National Association of Resident Doctors to embark on a total strike from August 2nd; corps member doctors today have effectively immersed themselves into the situation to ensure more hands are deployed in catering for patients at the Federal Medical Centre, Yola.
NAN reports that the this directive was issued on Saturday at the end of the executive meeting of the National Executive Council of the union held in Umuahia, the Abia State capital. A NAN correspondent who monitored some hospitals in Yola reports that Corps members could be seen offering skeletal services to some patients with emergencies.
The strike also affected many departments and units, including the Accidents and Emergency units, Paediatric and Intensive Care Units as well as Labour Ward and surgical theatres among other services.
Head of Information and Media Relations, FMC, Yola, Mr Adamu Dodo, said that the hospital was not completely shut down due to the strike. ”Everything is normal. Hospital is a teamwork setting, strengthened by synergy between and among the medical professionals and health workers”.
He noted that NARD was only one category of medical doctors.
”There are doctors from the ranks of Principal Medical Officers (PMO) and above, the Consultants and the NYSC, who were doing their best to attend to patients. This is to say that the entire service windows are opened, you’ve seen it yourself; the admission wards, the Accident and Emergency Unit and Labour Wards,” Dodo said.
He also confirmed that the only unusual circumstances being experienced were the workload shouldered by the dedicated NYSC doctors.
The NYSC doctors and other senior medical officers also attended to patients with emergency cases.
