Striking workers of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, on Saturday reiterated their demands for better working conditions, insisting that the new policies in the hospital were not favourable to their patients.
The President, Association of Resident Doctors, LUTH, Dr Olubunmi Omojuowolo, who decried the state of disrepair in the hospital and high cost of medical care, noted that the Association had made its demands clear before the indefinite strike began on the 2nd of June.
The issues he said are very clear:
“We are very worried as doctors working in LUTH about certain policies which directly affect the lives of Nigerians”, he said noting that medical fees had increased beyond the reach of the average Nigerian.
He disclosed that over a year ago, laceration was about 8,000 but went up to N50,000. Also inserting a tube to drain chest water ranges from N50,000 to N100,000, Cesarean Section went from N35,000 to over N100,000.
There was also a policy that emergency patients had to pay before getting services, however, it had been reversed because of “agitations”, Omojuowolo said.
He further decried the policies which seemed to be making the institution profit-driven, insisting that the Act that established the hospital is clear. “It is for training, research and care. It is never for profit.”
He continued saying, patients are “indirectly rendering service” because they are used to train doctors and so services should be at minimized costs.
He stated that the state of the health sector is abysmal, and there should be a trust fund to revitalize the sector. He also said that “Nigerians are very poor” and many cannot afford services because of the minimum wage of N18,000.
“Our hospital is a social welfare institution” but everything is shifting towards profit.
On his part, the Chairman, Joint House Unions and Associations, LUTH, Mr Kehinde Adegoke, noted that the Group’s strike action which started on 2nd of June, “coincidentally” was also for the same reasons as the Association of Resident Doctors.
He stressed that “we are not seeing enough willingness to actually address these things.”
He stated that their members were falling sick due to shortage of hands while those who had retired or travelled abroad had not been replaced.
While there have been complaints about machines which were not available, promises made by the hospital management had not been fulfilled.
He said that on the 20th of February, a document of about 40 pages was submitted containing the problems and solutions, adding that “we want LUTH to perform better” in the interest of the patients, students and staff.
We have had series of meetings but “LUTH management has its own issue”, he said, noting the problem of funding by the federal government. He stressed that the exact figures are unknown.
He admitted that the Federal budget for health is low and the health insurance should cover over 70% of patient’s bills but what is obtainable now is 30% which “is abysmal” as other West African countries have better policies in place.
He noted that many Nigerians paid out of their pockets which may be unrealistic in some medical cases.
“We want basic facilities to be available,” he said.
He disclosed that the management had assured that fees will be reviewed and the complaints considered.
He expressed concern that the situation had taken such a turn, leading to the death of patients and suffering, but noted that even without strike, patients were dying, when medical materials crucial to their survival, such as oxygen, were not available.
He maintained that doctors were sometimes forced to pay for some materials required with their personal money.
