Allegations of doctors, other staff’s victimisation false

The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH) Lokoja, Dr Olatunde Alabi, has identified a shortage of staff and lack of critical equipment as major challenges impeding operations in the tertiary health centre, stating that allegations of constant victimisation of staff, especially doctors, in the face of brain drain are false.

The CMD disclosed this in his office at FTH Lokoja, noting that the exit of some experienced staff from the hospital, as a result of the popular ‘Japa Syndrome,’ was largely responsible for the shortage of staff.

He explained that the strict process of employing new staff also hinders the replacement of those who have left the hospital, mentioning that some who were even on bond preferred to off-see their bond and travel out, which he said is now in vogue.

Responding to why some medical cases are referred to other hospitals, despite being a tertiary health facility, the CMD noted that the absence of some critical equipment needed in specialised departments was largely responsible for this. He added that the hospital is already making efforts to acquire some of this equipment, stating that once that is done, the issue of referrals will be drastically reduced.

“If you have a case that is critical and the equipment is not there for you to work with, we will not say because we are a tertiary health centre and allow the person to die when we can simply refer the patient to another hospital that has this equipment to save the life of the patient.

“Even though we have qualified medical personnel in the hospital, once the life of the patient is at stake due to the absence of equipment, it’s only logical and medically advisable to refer the patient to save the life of the sick person.”

On the issue of alleged high costs of accessing medical services in the facility, the CMD stated that their charges are more affordable compared to any private hospital in Lokoja and its environs.

“You cannot compare our charges to any private hospital in Lokoja when compared to the services we render. In terms of qualified doctors, nurses, and other staff in the hospital, we are second to none. So I challenge anyone to come with any verifiable evidence.”

The CMD acknowledged that there is some laxity among certain staff at the centre; however, he stressed that efforts are constantly being made to change the mindset of these staff members.

“We are constantly checking this trend and have taken stringent measures to address this laxity among the affected staff, including disciplinary actions against any erring staff in this direction.

“We do not condone any form of misbehaviour from our staff, particularly towards patients who come here for medical attention. So we will continue to do this until they conform to our set standards and objectives.”

He called on the public to always report any cases of negligence among their staff to allow management to investigate and deal with such issues, stating that SERVICON is specifically designed to check this laxity.