OOUTH doctors begin strike, government recruits personnel

Resident Doctors at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu, Ogun State, have embarked on an indefinite strike over alleged persistent decline of the workforce.

President and the Secretary of Association of the local Resident Doctors, Dr. Osikoya Oladotun and Dr Ajose Oluwafemi, expressed regret that while the shortfall in the workforce had not been replenished; patients have continued to increase over the past few years.

The aggrieved doctors said series of meetings and warnings they gave to the hospital management as well as the state government had failed to yield positive results, compelling them to take the action.

They alleged that the decline in the workforce had led to collapse of some doctors in the course of their duties, low morale among health workers and alleged possible loss of accreditation for full training of residents doctors.

The said: “The decline has many implications which include frequent breakdown in health of the workers; there has been at least one incidence of a young doctor collapsing from extreme work. Thank God, she was resuscitated successfully.

“Risk of avoidable errors in the discharge of our duties, leading to poor or improper care of our patients and litigation for the involved doctors and other healthcare workers. This cannot be overemphasized.

“Inability to study properly for postgraduate exams and lack of time for adequate training of younger doctors and medical students because all the time available is left to just survive the hectic working conditions.

“We have engaged the hospital management on many occasions without clear reprieve, since it appears to be beyond their reach. We have also met on several occasions with the representatives of the state government both in the previous and current administrations. The inertia is really disturbing.

“We sincerely want to take care of our patients; we don’t want poor outcomes. But this is already happening when the doctors are working under hectic conditions and the health of the caregivers is also seriously endangered.”

But it appeared the state government is taking steps to redress the situation.

Based on the interim recommendations submitted by the Administrative Panel set up to look into the remote and immediate causes of the challenges facing the hospital, the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun has approved the immediate recruitment of resident doctors for the institution.

Also to be recruited are nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists and all other categories and cadres of healthcare professionals.

The Governor, few days after assuming office visited the health institution and lamented its deplorable condition, including serious shortage qualified personnel, saying it did not befit a teaching hospital and pledged to reverse the situation.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Kunle Somorin, said the nine-man committee, chaired by Dr. Yemi Onabowale advised the government to recruit competent medical doctors to fill all the manpower shortages at the Teaching Hospital.

Abiodun has already ordered that advertisements be immediately rolled out in all departments where manpower shortage exists, adding that the recruitment must take immediate effect.