The ongoing strike by the Association of Resident Doctors at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State has left patients stranded, and some dead.
About 60 resident doctors in LAUTECH teaching hospital embarked on an indefinite strike on 29 July.
The doctors cited the failure of the hospital management and the state government to address their long-standing demands as the reason for the action.
The major demands of the doctors are the implementation of minimum wage for LAUTECH Teaching Hospital staff, despite the implementation for other healthcare workers in the state.
The situation led to a significant pay parity and resultant resignation and inability of the management to attract more hands, hence, more burden on the remaining personnel.
For families caught in the middle of the deadlock, the consequences have been devastating.
One of them in Ogbomoso was Mr. Oladapo, a 85-year-old man who died on Monday.
Speaking to Sunday PUNCH, the daughter of the deceased, Ms. Adeola Oladapo said her father who suffered a spinal cord injury in an accident in early July was rushed to LAUTECH Teaching Hospital for urgent treatment, where doctors recommended an X-ray and an MRI scan. But the hospital’s MRI machine broke down just when he needed it most.
She said, for a week, the family waited until the machine was repaired, but there were no doctors available to process the results, as the strike had already taken full effect.
‘Eventually, we were advised to leave the hospital. With no doctors to interpret the MRI results or provide specialised care, we had to seek help from private consultants while a nurse tended to him at home. By then, it was too late. The sores turned into necrosis, a severe tissue death caused by lack of treatment, and his condition spiralled out of control.
‘As I am talking to you now, my father is dead. My father died on Monday. I am so devastated’, his daughter, Oladapo lamented.
She added that their grief was compounded when the family tried to move her father’s body to the hospital mortuary, but officials turned them back, saying the facility was not receiving corpses during the strike.
‘This is a government hospital, and people cannot afford to go to private hospitals. Because of this strike, many families like mine have lost loved ones, many can’t even afford their medications anymore, and their conditions have worsened.
‘The health sector is a very important sector, and we are talking about lives, not stones. The government should attend to the demands of the doctors so that people can access healthcare’, she said.
Another prostate cancer patient, who pleaded anonymity, said the strike had pushed him into a state of despair.
‘I have not slept properly for more than a week because there is no adequate medical attention’, he said, his voice heavy with exhaustion.’The discomfort is unbearable, yet I cannot afford to go to a private hospital. As a civil servant, even buying my regular medications has become a huge struggle. Every day, I worry about whether I will be able to get the treatment I need to stay alive’, he added.
He explained that the strike has not only worsened his condition physically but has also weighed heavily on his mind.
‘It is not just the pain, it is the anxiety. You lie awake at night, knowing you need help, but there is no doctor to turn to. You are left alone to manage an illness that requires expert care. This is no way for anyone to live’, he said.
He appealed to the government to intervene urgently, stressing that many others like him are silently enduring the same fate.
‘I know I am not the only one. There are countless patients who cannot speak out but are suffering quietly. The government must hear us and do something quickly before more lives are lostmMD, he appealed.
Speaking on the strike, the ARD President at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Dr. Stephen Adedokun, said they had several meetings with some officials in the state government before the strike but lamented that their efforts yielded no tangible results.
He emphasised that despite the government’s promises, critical issues such as the implementation of the new minimum wage, disbursement of the Medical Residency Training Fund, and provision of accoutrement allowances remained unaddressed.
Meanwhile, nurses and midwives at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, Oyo State have commenced an indefinite strike over the non-implementation of the new National Minimum Wage and long-standing welfare issues.
This was contained in a statement by the Unit Chairman, Ojewumi Olutayo, and Secretary, Adedokun Foluwake, respectively in Ibadan, the state capital, on Saturday.
Sunday PUNCH reports that the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Unit, began its strike, following the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum issued to the management of the hospital.
The association disclosed that the strike began on Friday, adding that no meaningful steps were taken to address its demands despite repeated engagements and reminders.
‘LAUTECH Teaching Hospital workers have suffered systemic neglect, with their welfare consistently overlooked compared to counterparts in other state-owned health institutions in the state who already enjoy improved packages.
‘Our key demands to include immediate implementation of the new National Minimum Wage and its consequential adjustments with effect from January 2025; payment of promotion arrears from 2018 to 2024; recruitment of additional nurses to address severe staff shortages; renovation and proper furnishing of nurses’ stations and restrooms to improve working conditions’.
The union stressed that the prolonged delay in meeting these obligations has created financial strain, low morale, and attrition of skilled personnel in the hospital.
They further noted that the teaching hospital, being the only state-owned tertiary health institution in the state, plays a critical role as a referral centre for patients from Oyo, Osun, Kwara, and neighbouring communities.
‘A strike, they warned, could severely disrupt services for thousands of patients, including pregnant women, children, accident victims, and emergency cases’, the union added.
It, therefore, called on Governor Seyi Makinde to urgently intervene to ensure fairness and equity in staff welfare, stressing that industrial harmony is key to sustaining quality healthcare delivery in the state.
While reaffirming its commitment to professional excellence and quality care, the nurses and midwives maintained that the strike would continue until their demands are fully met.
