Gbenga Odogun

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja (FTHL), has embarked on a protest demanding for recruitment of more doctors as workers are suffering from overworking hours due to shortage of personnel.

The protesting doctors also demanded for the immediate reinstatement of its suspended President, Dr. Jimoh Umar.

The protest was held at the premises of hospital Lokoja in Monday

Speaking to newsmen, during the protest, Dr Olushola Baoku, the immediate past Chairman of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) Kogi, demanded for the immediate recruitment of more personnel in view of the lass exodus of doctors.

“We are asking for recruitment of more doctors at FTHL as we are dying of work overload due gross inadequate of doctors, nurses, attendance even the cleaners. We are also calling for immediate reinstatement of ARD FTHL suspended President, as directed by the Minister.

This is not ‘Japa’ syndrome but self inflicted migration; people are leaving this hospital on daily basis because of casualisation of doctors.

“So, we are calling on the CMD to immediately advertise and recruit more doctors and other health workers into the hospital.

“Even though, the CMD has been claiming that he was not granted waivers by the federal government, hence, we are passionately appealing to the Minister to promptly give waiver to enable the management employ more doctors”.

“Again, we are saying no victimisation of doctors because there is provision for right to protest and demand for our rights under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; right to demand for equity, fairness and accountability.

“So, there should be no victimisation for demanding for your rights, and we should not be shut down because we speak, and there should be no querry when we speak.

“Finally, we are calling the FTHL to work because we believe in the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu for effective service delivery to citizens in our hospitals.

“We believe in the vision of the President and we will not sit and fold our arms and allow his vision of delivering quality healthcare to Nigerians to be sabotaged.

“So all our departments and equipment must work, the A&E, X-RAY , ICU, Dialysis Unit must all work. These are our clear demands,”.

“We have also written series of letters of complaints to this effect to the Minister, the SGF, Head of Service to the Federation, before resorting to this final protest,” Baoku said

The doctors demanded that the FTHL management should immediately effect the directive of the Federal Government through the Minister of Health, Prof. Ali Pate, approving the reinstatement of the suspended ARD FTHL President, Dr. Jimoh Umar.

It could be recalled that Dr Umar, was suspended for actions he carried out as a head of a union that was a collective decision of all the resident doctors of the hospital in 2024 by the management of FTHL.