Confusion over resumption of new doctors

Despite the recruitment  of 373 doctors by the Lagos State Government, investigations have revealed  that their impact is yet to be felt in public hospitals in the state.

 One of our correspondents, who visited some of the hospitals observed that  only a few doctors had started work.

At the Gbagada General Hospital on Wednesday, only one doctor was seen attending to a patient at the outpatient unit. Paediatric, Male and Surgical units were locked.

 The doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said since the sacking of the 788 doctors, the numbers of  patients, who visited the hospital had dropped.

 One of the patients, who gave her name simply as Mrs. Ajayi, said many patients had stopped coming to the hospital because they were not sure of getting treatment.

 She said, “I have missed my appointment twice because of the strike and I  am not sure if new doctors had resumed.”

A nurse at the paediatric ward said only two new doctors had resumed at the hospital but had yet to attend to any patient.

 However, doctors have began work at the Accident and Emergency Unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.

 Although the medical units such as  the pharmacy and the consulting rooms were opened, few patients were in the hospital.

 A new doctor that was deployed to the Medical Surgical Unit said only two patients had showed up for their surgical appointments since he resumed last week.

 He said, “Patients are still not coming as expected.”

 A mother, who brought her five-year old daughter to the Paediatric ward, said her daughter’s appointment for an abdominal surgery had being postponed till next week because there were no doctors to perform the operation.

 She said, “I came here last week when the new doctors resumed but I only met nurses. They have booked her again for next week as there are  no doctors yet to perform the surgery.”

 Meanwhile, the sacked doctors on Wednesday asked a National Industrial Court in Lagos to punish the state government for dismissing them despite being aware of a pending suit on the issue before their dismissal.

Their counsel, Mr. Bamidele Aturu, said he had filed a new motion dated May 10, 2012, “to evoke the punitive jurisdiction of the court against the government for disrespecting the court process.”

Responding to Justice Benedict Kanyip’s question on whether parties had not been engaging in dialogue to settle the dispute, Aturu said government  shunned intervention made by well-meaning Nigerians and organisations for amicable settlement.

Aturu said, “Arrogance on the part of the government is frustrating the settlement of the matter.”

However, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, who represented the government, denied any arrogant posture.

He said it was the doctors that had not been cooperating with government.

Justice Kanyip turned down Aturu’s request seeking to reinstate the doctors pending the hearing of the application.

Kanyip said, “I cannot make such order without hearing the application.”

 He however, endorsed an undertaking by Ipaye that no further step would be taken to evict the doctors until the determination of the suit.