'Na we dey suffer doctors strike, e dey painful' Patients lament

Di strike wey di Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) start on Monday, 26 August don really affect almost all federal goment hospitals for Nigeria.

For Kano State, plenty patients dey complain sake of say no doctor dey to attend to dem.

Di doctors association tok say dem enta strike to put pressure on federal goment make dem ensure di release of dia colleague, Ganiyat Popoola, wey jaguda pipo kidnap for Kaduna State since December 2023.

Patients for di Malam Aminu Kano Hospital don start to dey go oda hospitals to find treatment, like one man wey bring im sick relative.

"Dem tok say dem no fit treat am, dem fit only do small emergency help, but dem tok say dem dey strike.

"E no good, e dey painful, we no get choice, we go carry am go anoda hospital," im tok.

E add say, "For me as I see am, dis strike no be good reason to stop work, dem just wan pressure goment make dem listen to dem, for now na innocent patients dey suffer, and dem no get anytin to do wit di kidnappers wey take dia colleague."

"Dis strike no go make goment meet dia demands, and di kidnappers no go release who dem kidnap sake of di strike, which mean say na di ordinary pipo dey suffer."

Anoda woman also say dem don dey di hospital since morning but dem neva see doctor.

"Dem tok say dem dey on strike and dem no fit see us now, one doctor see am, but e tok say dem no go fit attend to am becos dem dey strike."

"Notin we fit do sake of say we no get moni."

'E no dey funny' - Patient for Port Harcourt

As di nationwide resident doctors strike don enter day 5, patients for di University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) say dem dey feel di impact of di strike as dem no dey see di doctors wey dem normally dey see.

Although most clinics still dey run as na consultant doctors dey attend to patients along wit oda medical professionals like nurses.

Dis na becos di hospital management put in place some emergency protocols to manage strike situation like dis but as di resident doctors no dey on ground, dem dey feel di impact of dia absence.

“We dey wait long time to see doctor as dis strike dey go on and e no dey funny,” na so Patricia tok - she be patient wey come one of di clinics.

“I hear say doctors dey on strike. Some pipo wey come don go back as dem get to pick a smaller number of patients wey dem go attend to unlike oda days.

"Considering my number and di time wey I come here, dem suppose don attend to me like two hours ago but I still dey here dey wait. Hopefully dem go attend to me," Patricia add.

For Abuja di Capital city of Nigeria, BBC Pidgin tori pesin also find out say doctors no dey work for di various goment hospitals.

For Wuse District Hospital, di hospital wey dey normally dey veri busy, dey scanty wit only few patients sitting for di waiting areas.

One staff for di records department tok say na di doctor strike cause am. “If you wan see doctor, come next week Tuesday, na seven days strike dem go,” di staff wey no wan mention im name tok.

E explain say di few pipo wey sidon for di waiting seats na pipo wey bin don get appointment wit consultant doctors, “and even di consultants sef I no sure say dem go come today”.

One patient wey come for treatment tell BBC Pidgin say she dey go try Garki District Hospital, even though na goment hospital, goment don lease am to a private company wey dey manage am, so dem no dey follow go strike, “but di price dia dey higher dan oda general hospitals” dis patient tok.

“Imagine say my case na beta emergency. I dey tok to you now becos I still fit waka, stand, enta car. What if to say na carry dem carry me come here now and I no dey responsive? Imagine wetin for happun," she lament.

Di strike don achieve im purpose?

“Our strike action don bring attention to di kidnap of our colleague, Dr. Ganiyat Popoola and di public don dey tok about am and goment don tok about making sure say industrial harmony dey so on dat level, I tink e don succeed,” na so di Chairman of Association of Resident Doctors University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Dr. Noble Dumbari Mbooh, tok.

On federal goment tok of enforcing no-work-no-pay on di striking doctors, oga Mbooh say e no go make any comment on dat but e note say di strike na child of necessity to make goment do wetin dem suppose don do bifor to secure di safe release of dia colleague, Dr Popoola.

“If dem bin don do evritin to ensure her release since last year December, we no for get any reason to go strike, so na for dem to do evritin within dia power to make sure say her kidnappers release her from captivity na wetin we want.”

E hope say between now and di end of di strike on Sunday, wey go be di day seven of di strike, Dr. Popoola go don dey released from her captors but on dia next line of action, e say dat go dey determined afta dem meet wit di national leadership.

E say dem go meet bifor di last day of di strike to review and see di impact of di strike action to decide di next steps.



Medical retainership complex for Aminu Kano hospital



Fotos of accident and emergency department for Aminu Kano hospital