Shortage of staff and accumulated withheld salaries of locum staff across public hospitals in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is affecting health services, Daily Trust reports.
There are about 14 general hospitals, and many primary health centers across the six area councils of the FCT.
The problem of understaffing is coming at a time when the number of patients visiting the hospitals has multiplied, because many residents can no longer afford the services of private health facilities, due to the economic situation.
Moreso, health workers including doctors, nurses and medical laboratory scientists, have quit their job with the hospitals and left for greener pastures abroad without replacements, by the relevant authorities.
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The situation is compounded as a result of alleged negligence of the payment of locum staff that are usually burdened with a lot of responsibilities and leading in number; with some of them being owed salaries for about five months.
All the locum staff were later sacked October last year, following a protest they held at the FCT secretariat, ironically to draw the minister’s attention, about their condition. They accused the minister of concentrating on infrastructural development alone, and neglecting other sectors, like health and education.
The locum staff had earlier met with the Mandate Secretary in charge of Health Services and Environment Secretariat and its Permanent Secretary, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe and Dr. Babagana Adam, respectively.
A source who prefers to remain anonymous, further explained that the meeting was granted after a six hours’ protest on that day, within the secretariat.
He said, “The mandate secretary told us that they are going to pay us for three months out of the owed salary by the next day, and also invite the chief medical directors CMD, of all the 14 hospitals in the FCT to discuss how to resolve all issues that we raised including owed allowances for years. But ironically, a circular was released the following day announcing that all the locum staff with the hospitals that have surpassed the number of permanent staff have been sacked, effective from the month of October.
“The action affected all locum staff at hospital departments including doctors, nurses, medical laboratory scientists and account and medical records staff. It was after the disengagement action, that the secretariat announced that application for re-engagement can be done , after realising that the hospitals could not operate without the locum staff. Some of us have applied with few among us being reemployed, but as I am talking to you now, they have neither paid us for the new salary, two months since our re-engagement, nor cleared our previous owed salaries, as was promised,” he lamented.
Also speaking, another locum staff, who make it back to the service through reengagement, described their current situation as worse compared to the previous time. “They only reengage about 45 per cent of the sacked workers, with some severe condition; “They have tied our hands now, and disunited us, warning that we shouldn’t embark in any kind of protest, he added.
Effects on patients
Visits to some of the hospitals revealed that as a result of understaffing and owing of salaries, patients are facing difficulties now.
The worst affected are those who visit hospitals on weekend days as they have allegedly been rejected due to the shortage of officials that take their rest on only those days. Those that visit the hospitals on the working days, have to be there very early, in order to make the list of patients that doctors could attend to on a daily basis.
Also, another patient said the system may collapse soon due to the lack of access to the fund by the respected hospital’s management.
He said previously the hospitals use part of the generated fund to handle some minor cases within the hospitals, without relying on the center.
The source said that now there is a directive that all the monies being generated should be remitted to the secretariat.
“Before, there was a certain money that was set aside to be utilised by the hospitals in supplying basic things like oxygen, provision of diesel to the power generator, and also carry some emergency maintenance in the hospitals, respectively. There is also a sharp increment in charges of services to patients, such as surgery or ward admission, with cost of surgery like C.S, rising to N200,000 from previous N70,000.
Others are rates of drugs available within the hospital that are reportedly selling at higher rates.
A health official at one of the hospitals disclosed that due to the state of the hospitals under the FCT, health cases that were previously being handled by doctors there, are now being referred to the Abuja University Teaching Hospital in Gwagwalada, the Federal Staff Hospital, in Jabi. Or the National hospital, Abuja, all of which are managed by the federal government.
Reacting, the Permanent Secretary, Health Services and Environmental Secretariat, HSES, Dr. Babagana Adam, acknowledged the issue of understaffing. He said the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike has approved the recruitment of 315 personnel to be engaged in the hospitals.
“Right now as I am talking to you the Federal Character Commission has approved that in order to replace those that have been lost due to the staff attrition.”
He also said that a plan to engage about 60 medical residents of various cadres is underway, and in the long run to employ about 900 staff, geared towards filling the gap of health personnel.
Speaking about the owed salary of locum staff, Dr. Babagana Adam, alleged that some of them were not properly engaged in the first place, while maintaining that a process is still undergoing to pay those that have yet been paid.
He said a minimum of two months is needed before any contract, rehabilitation or maintenance could be carried out in any affected hospitals in the FCT, no matter how urgent it is.