They spoke with
the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews on Wednesday in
Lagos on the ongoing nationwide strike the doctors.

NAN reports
that the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) had on Sept. 4
directed its members nationwide to embark on an indefinite strike to
pressurise government to meet its demands.

The strike
notice was signed Dr John Onyebueze and Dr Aneke Emmanuel, the
National President and Secretary, National Association of Resident
Doctors of Nigeria (NARD) respectively.

NAN reports that in the affected hospitals, few patients turned up for consultation and routine clinics in view of the strike.

One of the
patients at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, Mrs Faith
Ehijie, who brought her son for routine clinic, said that government
should look into their demands in the interest of the poor patients.

While
expressing disappointment with the doctors’ action, Ehijie said: “By
now, the nation should have gone over the issue of strikes in our health
institutions.

“Government
should make the doctors’ welfare a priority to avoid these frequent
strikes; we all know their importance to the society.

“The clinic
routine is not as usual today, because some of the doctors are on strike
and this make the process to be slow and caused the delay.

Another patient
at the hospital, Mr Adeoti Oki, commended the hospital management and
other doctors on ground for their abilities to manage the patients in
spite of the resident doctor’s strike.

“We don’t even
expect to get this attention, though, it is a bit slow, as you can see,
we are still being attended to accordingly.

“We still want
the government to please resolve the issues with the doctors that are on
strike so that the service can get better,” he said.

Also, at the
Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, there was low
turnout of patients, as fewer patients were seen at the major department
and clinics.

NAN reports
that the Accident and Emergency Unit, which was always busy on normal
day, was scanty as well as other units including the Gynaecology and
Paediatric Units.

At Lagos
University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, two patients interviewed
said that they had an appointment with their physicians and that they
were waiting to see them.

A patient, Mr
Badaru Ahmed, told NAN that he was waiting for his turn as a doctor was
attending to the patients in the waiting room.

“I am the next in line to see the doctor; a patient is seeing him now and when he is done, I am next, “ he said.

Another
patient, Mrs Fatima Ali, who claimed she was not aware of the doctors’
strike, said that she had come for checkup and to also see her
physician.

According to her, I have been seen the doctors moving around in their robes and some attending to us.

“I don’t know that there is an ongoing strike in LASUTH, “ she said.

When contacted,
the LASUTH Chief Medical Director, Prof. Adewale Oke, said that the
hospital was working and patients were being attended to.

“We are working and attending to the patients on ground,“ he said.

Meanwhile, NAN reporters gathered that skeletal activities were recorded in the affected hospitals in Lagos.

At LASUTH, Ikeja, though, activities were ongoing in spite of the strike, it was not as usual when the doctors were on duty.

NAN visit to the hospital showed that patients were being attended to few consultants and the house officers on ground.

Also, other
health workers including nurses, laboratory scientists, health
information management officers were seen going about their normal
duties.

(NAN)