Medical doctors in all public hospitals in Ondo State have complied with the directive of the national body of the Nigeria Medical Association to embark on an indefinite strike to press home their demands from the Federal Government.
A visit by Channels Television to the Ondo State Specialist Hospital located in Akure, the state capital, revealed that the strike which commenced on Tuesday was already taking its toll on the hospital.
The Doctors’ strike was evident in the drastic reduction in the volume of traffic and activities in and around the hospital.
There was no doctor to attend to the patients in the wards. Only a few nurses were attending to the patients.
The situation was the same at the Accident and Emergency Unit which used to be very busy on an ordinary day.
The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Adeniran Ikuomola, confirmed that the strike was on. He said that the nurses and other health workers were on duty; while any patient that cannot be handled by them would be referred.
The Chairman of the NMA in Ondo State, Dr Dokun Nuel, could not be reached as at the time of filling this report. He was not in the office and his mobile phone was switched off.
Other officials of NMA in the state insisted that they were not authorised to grant press interviews. All the nurses and other health workers in the hospital also declined to speak on the strike.
