Olu Samuel, Lokoja

Resident doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja has said that unless something drastic is done to change the narrative,the health institution lay have to be short down.
Investigations revealed that aside from the general brain drain of Medical Doctors and other professionals leaving the country for greener pastures , the casualization of doctors, constant victimization, unpaid arrears, Gross shortage of manpower, burnt out syndrome and unfriendly working environment has allegedly motivated the Constant exodus of doctors from the Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja .

The situation was aggravated by none utilisation of waivers by the Federal Ministry of Health to the Management of federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja to employ doctors to fill critical vacancies in their facilities and repeated accusation of the Health Minister by the CMD FTHL of refusing to grant him waiver to get employ despite the instruction of Mr President that waivers should be granted speedily in health sector.

However, it was gathered that instead of utilising the waivers, the Management, under Doctor Olatunde Alabi allegedly engaged doctors on Locum (casual) as some of them have spent upward of three years without confirmation and made them to sign their employment letters every three months

Investigation has also shown that the present Chief medical Director, Dr. Olatunde Alabi had presided over dwindling numbers of doctors from over 220 resident doctors to 190 resident Doctors in 2020 but as at the last count, only 94 Doctors were said to have remained in the services of the hospital to offer both secondary and Tertiary healthcare needs of thousands of patients who daily troop to the hospital.

According to a reliable source, there was a systematic resignation of appointments by the doctors as before 2020, the hospital had over 220 residents which became 190 doctors, it was reduced to 175 in 2021 and depleted to130 in 2022 while 110 stay put in 2023 and only 94 doctors out which 29 are on locum who are presently rendering their services, lamenting that the workload posed serious health hazards for the remaining Doctors and they had pile up of unpaid arrears of minimum wage, hazard allowances and wage award.

According to some documents sighted by our correspondent, only 7 Doctors are assigned to accident and emergency,; anesthesia and Dental Departments have 5 doctors apiece, family medicine and Laboratory medicine had 13 doctors while Ear, Nose and Tongue ENT Department has 2 and NHIS has only 1 doctor to attend to hundreds of patients trooping to the hospital for treatment.

It was equally gathered that out of the 94 doctors most of whom are on the verge of leaving their employment, 29 of them are on locum ( Casual) as some have spent upward of three years without being properly employed let alone being confirmed with permanent and pensionable appointments.

According to the source, the reason for the mass exodus of doctors from the centre may not be unconnected with the high handedness of the CMD, Victimization of workers, casualization of doctors and deplorable infrastructures and poor motivation.

According to him, the management has owed doctors a minimum wage arrears of 5 years , Hazard allowance of 2 years and the recently introduced Wage award for 10 months.

” This situation is so bad that A/E with 8 bed capacity inside and the rest patients are admitted outside A/E with 10 bed spaces and sometimes patients are admitted on the floor.

” The management made a policy that no patients should be attended to until they have opened folders and no more credit facility even as non availability of essential drugs, no functional generators and no central oxygen supply to each patient’s bed. The case of a patient, 45 years old who was admitted sometimes this year with Uremic gastroenteritis but the patient died due to lack of essential drugs as low as Paracetamol, diacynol, Omeprazole and Antibiotics

Some doctors even confirmed that all these were taken by their leaders to the Ministry of health and reported officially to them and no action has been taken concerning employment waivers and unpaid arrears till date.

Meanwhile, some doctors who spoke to our Correspondent on the basis of anonymity for fear of victimization by the management said, they are fed up with increased workload on them, three monthly renewal of employment, unpaid arrears running into years, constant victimization, working under harsh unbearable conditions , denial of medical officers with primaries to do in – house training: poor accommodation and pairing of house officers in a room and epileptic power and water supply.

They chorused that these and many more were responsible for mass exodus of doctors from the Hospital as many are in a last minutes preparation to ditch the hospital, urging the the minister of health Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate to wade in before the hospital finally shut down.

However, all efforts to speak to the CMD , Dr. Olatunde Alabi failed as repeated calls and visits to his office failed to get comment from him.