24th June, 2010
The University of Abuja Teaching Hospital on Wednesday refused to admit patients, following the strike embarked upon by the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Correspondent who visited the hospital reports that activities were paralysed with consultants seen in groups discussing the strike.
Some of the nurses who commented on the refusal of the hospital to admit patients said there was no need to admit patients without doctors on ground to attend to them.
A nurse in the General Out Patient Department (GOPD), who pleaded anonymity told NAN that the ongoing strike by the resident doctors was not in the interest of the country, especially the heath sector.
“The ongoing strike by resident doctors has paralysed activities in the hospital with some patients being sent home since doctors are not on ground to attend to them.
“As nurses in a teaching hospital, we have limitations, we are not allowed to prescribe drugs for patients and the few consultants we have in the departments cannot attend to all patients.
“So, the option left for us is to send the patients back home because if we perform our duties as nurses, doctors are not there to attend to them,†the nurse said.