Rivers Ups Medical Services At BMSH …As Health Workers’ Strike Cripples UPTH

L-R: Wife of the governor of Bayelsa State, Mrs Rachael Dickson, Governor Seriake Dickson, former President Goodluck Jonathan, his wife Patience, and Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, during the commendation service for late Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, at Amasoma in Bayelsa State on Saturday

The Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Theophilus Odaggme has said that the state government has engaged the services of young graduands of medicine and pharmacy to assist in attending to the ever-increasing number of patients at the Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital (BMSH) in order to avert imminent healthcare epidemic in the state.
Odagme told The Tide on the sideline of a two-day retreat organized for government functionaries at Onne Multipurpose Centre, Eleme Local Government Area of the state, that the measure was designed to ease the pressure at the BMSH following the influx of patients due to the on-going strike by the members of the Joint Health Sector Union at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH).
The state health commissioner pointed out that the state government was bothered over the strike by members of JOHESU at UPTH, and the health consequences such prolonged action could unleash on the residents and the economy of the state.
He revealed that the state government was already dialoguing with the management of UPTH on ways of resolving the strike.
Also speaking expressing the worry of health professionals in the state, the Rivers State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), complained that the state-owned tertiary hospitals in Port Harcourt were overstretched by the large influx of patients due to the on-going strike embarked upon by health workers at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital.
The state NMA Chairman and Senior Consultant at the Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital, Dr. Furo Green, who made the complaint in Port Harcourt, emphasised that the number of patients that visit BMH since the beginning of the workers strike has doubled.
Green stated that some patients have been referred to private health institutions in the state due to the load at BMH.
He called for a quick and peaceful resolution of the impasse between the management of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital and JOHESU in order to save the lives of patients.
Meanwhile, as the indefinite strike embarked upon by health workers at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital enters its 10th today, some patients at the hospital have lamented their inability to access treatment since the industrial action commenced.
Our correspondent, who visited the hospital, reports that most wards were without patients while the few left were seen leaving the hospital for private clinics around Port Harcourt.
Some stranded patients, who spoke with our correspondent, said a number of patients have lost their lives due to the strike.
They appealed to the striking health workers to resolve their grievances with the management in order to return to work.
The Chairman of the Joint Health Sector Union, UPTH branch, Kristian Awoibi, last weekend, regretted that the management of UPTH was pretending to be honest in efforts to resolve the impasse, saying that Chief Medical Director had lied on claims that the union did not exhaust every necessary avenue for dialogue before embarking on the strike.
Awoibi noted that the union, on several occasions, met with the management to press home their demands but that the chief medical director refused to accede to their demands.
He pointed out that the Federal Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labour and Productivity must intercede to resolve the crisis.
Awoibi restated the union’s stand not to return to work until government meets its demands.

Susan Serekara-Nwikhana