'Non-functional wards for LUTH' - Why health sector dey suffer shortage of doctors and nurses?

Health sector for Nigeria don kontinu dey witness serious shortage of manpower as nurses and doctors wey comot for teaching hospitals for di kontri neva get replacement.

Many of di teaching hospital no dey function to dia full capacity again sake of say dem no get enof doctors and nurses.

Di House of Representatives Committee on Health for Nigeria on Tuesday bin note say plenty doctors and nurses don dey comot for di kontri becos dem dey find better opportunity wey go allow dem practice dia profession well.

According to Dr Amos Magaji wey be chairman of di committee, di issue need urgent attention wia di goment go dey enroll health officials wey go help Nigeria get affordable and accessible health care.

Di committee bin visit di Lagos University Teaching Hospital (Luth) wia dem notice say some wards wey suppose dey serve patients dey closed and no dey accessible for usage since personnel wey go treat pipo no dey.

E dey noted say na di ‘japa’ syndrome wey dey go on for di health sector dey make doctors and nurses dey scarce for di hospital.

“Some of di issues of ‘japa’, na wetin we dey actually look how we go solve dis problem. We go start from di enrolment for universities, and how we fit employ house officers wey go also include di residency programme,” Dr Magaji tok.

E say di best way manage di ‘japa’ syndrome na to “build state-of-di-art infrastructure wey go make di sector attractive and rewarding to workers irrespective of any fields wey dem dey.”

Di committee say dem see five wards wey dey shutdown for Luth becos say nurses and doctors no dey. Many of di wards wey dey shut down na sake of lack of health officials.

“We saw significant problems here. E get about five wards for Luth, wey dey reach about 150 beds wey don dey shut down becos e no get nurses and doctors to work for di wards."

"Na result of di ‘japa’ syndrome wey we dey get and na some of di problems wey we dey get for here.”

'We no fit function in full capacity, some wards dey locked'

Dr Kemi Atiloye wey dey lead di Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (Nard) for LUTH tell BBC News Pidgin say truly e get sme wards wey no dey function since e dey under lock.

Dr Atiloye tok say since wen dem don refurbish di wards, e dey under lock and wen di house of representatives bin visit, dem see say e big pass wetin dem bin dey think.

“Afta di refurbishment, dem neva open some wards to function as result of shortage of manpower. No be recent tin but wen dem visit dey see say di brain-drain dey more dan wetin dem think.”

“We get wards wey no dey function to full capacity and na becos of shortage of manpower. Even if wards wey dey underlock no reach five but wetin dey important here be say shortage of manpower dey for di health sector and hospitals no fit fully functional maximally.”

Dr Atiloye reveal say di goment dey try see how de go helep provide more manpower for di health sector but dem no see anytin as di mata no be new tin.

“Di reason e dey out now be say di goment come and dey see tins by diasef and see say manpower na big issue and according to wetin dem tok, dey say dem go begin to dey replace pipo as soon as dem leave and get more pipo to handle di wards.

Goment yet to fulfil promises

Remember say di resident doctors for Nigeria embark on an indefinite strike for July 26, 2023, wia dem dey demand better welfare of dia members among oda requests.

Di doctors bin give goment two-week ultimatum bifor but goment no meet dia demands wey later turn to di strike wey dem begin.

Sadly, goment release one letter on Tuesday 1 August through di federal ministry dem order di implementation of a ‘no work, no pay’ policy for di doctors wey dey strike. Di striking doctors immediately declare a nationwide protest.

Di two major demands wey Nard dey expect goment to immediately attend to dey border around di medical residency training fund. Di fund na wetin di resident doctors dey use go seminars, training and conferences.

According to Dr Atiloye, one of di demands wey goment fit meet wey no require money na di one-for-one replacement of clinical staff. Nard tok say di replacement of doctors wey dey comot di kontri go help stop overload for doz wey still remain for di work.

One of di question wey di President of di National Resident Doctors Association (NARD), Dr Emeka Orji dey ask im kontri pipo na if dem go sidon dey look until all di doctors and nurses waka comot from di kontri. ut till now, goment neva fulfil any promise.