Residents Doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja (FTHL) in Kogi State protested on Thursday, citing shortages in manpower and alleged unfavourable policies implemented by the hospital’s management, led by Dr. Olatunde Alabi.
The protesting doctors held placards with various inscriptions such as ‘We want to work, not to work and die,’ ‘Don’t kill us, stop using no work no pay to threaten us,’ ‘Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja doctors are dying help,’ ‘Give us meal breaks,’ ‘End casualization of doctors,’ ‘Federal Government, Mr. President, come to our aid,’ among others.
The Association of Resident Doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja staged the protest around the hospital premises to voice their grievances against the management.
Speaking to journalists, some of the protesting doctors, who preferred to remain anonymous due to fear of victimization, highlighted concerns about their female colleagues losing pregnancies due to excessive workload.
Addressing journalists, some of the protesting doctors who never wanted their names to be mentioned over fear of victimization noted that their female colleagues have been losing their pregnancies because of too much workload.
“The management of Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja has been very disappointing to us. One of the issues we have been raising with them for over time is shortage of manpower. I want to put it on record that in 2020, we have about 222 resident doctors in this hospital.
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“For over four years now, many of them have moved outside the chores of this Country. Some moved to the consultant cadre while others resigned and moved to other centres. We are now left with only 64 residents and Doctors. The workload keeps on increasing on a daily basis. We have told the management to employ but they keep on telling us that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has refuse to give him, (Chief Medical Director Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja Dr Olatunde Alabi) waiver to employ.
“So we keep asking, why hasn’t Mr. President granted the CMD waiver to employ new resident doctors in the hospital? We inquire if they can’t hire more staff, and why can’t they reduce the workload, but they refuse. Here in this hospital, doctors are working 48-hour shifts without meal breaks. There is a diabolical platform called Gifnis. It’s so sinister that when doctors are placed on that platform, they lose access to their minimum wage and arrears.”
“This platform is being used as an excuse to casualize doctors. It’s unimaginable that in this day and age, hospitals would employ doctors as locums. ‘Locums’ is a derogatory term that should not be used for doctors.”
The Chairman, Nigeria Medical Association, (NMA) Kogi State Dr Baoku Olusola who joined the resident Doctor to protest said” it is a sad day for us here in Kogi State. You can see that I am wearing black as much as all the doctors that are here. The doctors are angry and sad and of course in extension, NMA is sad because of the event that is actually taking place in Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja.
NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
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