• How doctors’ strike killed my wife –Nasarawa journalist
From Abel Leonard, Lafia
Isa Muhammed is a staff of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Nasarawa State. He is presently bereaved and heartbroken. He lost his wife, Fatima, a few days ago and his world collapsed like a pack of loose cards.
Perhaps, Fatima might have been alive today; were it not for the resident doctors’ strike that left many patients vulnerable and many health facilities country without doctors.
Isa, in an emotion-filled voice, told Daily Sun in Lafia: “I couldn’t have imagined that my beautiful wife would leave me so soon! I truly don’t know where to start. This is too much.”
His nightmare began a few weeks back, when Fatima fell ill, just about the time the doctors announced their warning strike. The strike expectedly left medical facilities grappling for breath as a result of the shortage of doctors to attend to patients.
In a desperate efforts to safe his wife, Isa rushed her to Dalhatu Araf Specialists Hospital. He was hoping for a cure. But to his dismay, he was informed that there were no doctors to attend to her critical condition, that the doctors were on strike.
He was subsequently refereed to a primary healthcare centre in Kwandere Development Area, a facility populated primarily by nurses, who seemingly were without the requisite know- how to attend to Fatima’s case:
“We spent several days at the centre and Fatima later regained consciousness. She started getting better and we were advised to return home.”
Home they returned and stayed for a few days but unfortunately Fatima’s illness resurfaced, prompting Isa to rush her back to the same healthcare centre. The absence of doctors still proved a formidable obstacle to the restoration of her health:
“No proper test was conducted; no doctor was available to evaluate her condition. Her situation only went from bad to worse and we watched helplessly as she continued to lose the battle.”
Every day was worse than the previous day. On August 6, 2023, she became unconscious again. This time, Isa took her to a hospital where she was administered with oxygen. It was then that the medical personnel identified the need for her to see a neurologist:
“There was something inside her brain that she needed attention.” He contacted a specialist in Abuja: “The consultant accepted to help out. We were preparing to transport my wife to Abuja for specialised treatment.
“As we were leaving the healthcare centre in Kwandere Lafia, with oxygen sustaining Fatima’s fragile breath, she finally succumbed and gave up the ghost.
“If it weren’t for the strike, qualified doctors would have detected the problem and offered a solution. Or at the very least, referred us to appropriate heath care earlier, enough.”
The painful ordeal Isa and his family endured highlighted the dire consequences of the strike. A visit to Araf Specialist Hospital revealed a sobering experience. The hospital reputed for its huge traffic of patients was without resident doctors. Within the hospital’s walls, the air was thick with a sense of helplessness as patients occupied various wards with little or no medical attention.
Hassan Ikrama, Chief Medical Director of the hospital admitted the impact of the strike on the hospital’s operations. He disclosed that in response to the strike, the hospital took hard proactive measures by enlisting the assistance of additional consultants to cushion the effect.
He acknowledged the efforts of these additional consultants. He emphasised the inherent limitations of such arrangements:
“The challenges posed by the shortage of doctors re-undeniable and even with the best of intentions, the measures taken were unable to fully bridge the gap left by the striking medical personnel.”
Abubakar Ado is suffering from a common ailment. He said told: “Majority of the striking doctors are exploiting the situation to enrich themselves. They don’t have the interest of Nigerian’s at heart.”
A doctor who pleaded anonymity confessed that some of their members are currently engaged in private hospitals and clinics. Their finances and pay are not directly and negatively affected by the strike.