‘Corps members replace striking Doctors in FMC Yola’

Corps members, on Thursday, replaced the striking doctors in the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Yola, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

NAN reports that the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) directed its members across the country to embark on a total strike from Aug. 2.

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This directive was issued on Saturday at the end of the executive meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the union held in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.

A NAN correspondent, who monitored some hospitals in Yola, reports that the Corps member doctors could be seen offering skeletal services to some patients with emergencies.

NAN reports that the strike affected many departments and units, including the Accidents and Emergency units, Paediatric and Intensive Care Units as well as Labour Ward and surgical theatres among other services.

Reacting, Mr Adamu Dodo, Head of Information and Media Relations, FMC, Yola, said that the hospital was not completely shut down due to the strike.

”Everything is normal. Hospital is a teamwork setting, strengthened by the synergy between and among the medical professionals and health workers,” Dodo said.

He noted that NARD was only one category of medical doctors.

“There are doctors from the ranks of Principal Medical Officers (PMO) and above, the Consultants and the NYSC, who were doing their best to attend to patients.

“This is to say that the entire service windows are opened, you’ve seen it yourself; the admission wards, the Accident and Emergency Unit and Labour Wards”, he added.

Dodo confirmed that the only unusual circumstance being experienced was the workload shouldered by the dedicated NYSC doctors.

NAN reports that NARD cited the inability of the federal government to meet the demands of the doctors as part of the reasons for the decision to go on strike. (NAN)