Patients Leave Rivers Hospital In Droves

Medical services in all the hospitals in Port Harcourt, the oil rich Rivers State capital, have been paralysed due to medical doctors’ strike that entered its fourth day today.

The doctors had embarked on an indefinite strike on Tuesday to protest against the Rivers State Government’s refusal to pay them the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, COMESS.

A visit to the state’s apex hospital, Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital, BMSH, this morning and some other health centres revealed that relatives of some patients were seen discharging loved ones who were refused medical attention.

Some patients who have been staying back on their hospital beds hoping that the doctors may change their minds and attend to them said their hopes have been dashed and they are already preparing to leave the hospitals as no doctor had seen them in the past three days.

The Public Relations Officer of the Association of Resident Doctors at the BMSH,Dr. Nunumaa Brownson,explained that doctors embarked on a full scale strike action on Tuesday 22 February after the government reneged on its promise to pay doctors the new medical salary before the end of January 2011.

When contacted, Dr. Benard Aprioku, the Medical Director of the state apex hospital, said if the strike is not called off quickly it will have grave consequence on the sick and medical delivery in the state.

He said medical consultants have been directed to attend to patients in the present circumstance.

Governor Chibuike Amaechi’s administration prides itself to have commissioned 60 Healthcare centres for 60 communities in 60 days and has employed over 200 doctors and other support medical staff.

In addition to building mega hospitals, the administration claims to have spent billions of naira on health sector in the past three years because health service is one of its cardinal programmes.

By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt