Resident Doctors’ Quest For Safe Working Environment

Interest in diseases and treatment of all manners of medical debilities is no doubt the driving force of medical practice. But at the very root of this professional passion lies the untold hazards including the risk of life to which many health care givers have paid huge prices.
The story of a former staff of the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), late Dr Living Jamala, is a sad reflection of the ugly fates dedicated health workers have met while rendering their professional services to humanity. His dreams and aspirations were cut short while attempting to save a patient infected with lasa fever that later died of the disease.
Five years after his unfortunate demise, his professional colleagues have continued to keep his memory afloat through an annual lecture series. During this year’s edition of the Memorial Lecture organised the Association of Residents Doctors, (ARD) Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, (RSUTH) in Port Harcourt, attention was drawn by medical practitioners to the increasing dangers of work-related hazards to which health care givers are exposed.
According to the President of Association of Residents Doctors at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital,  Dr Mathew George Ela, the sacrifices paid by the late Dr Living Jamala and others demanded that, “proper attention be given to preventive measures that keep steps ahead of hazards and help doctors remain safe while discharging their professional duties.”
Speaking at the memorial lecture organised under the theme, ‘the health worker and the emerging health challenges,’ he said health workers were one of the most endangered species of humanity, especially with the sordid realities of the covid-19 pandemic. He stressed the need to motivate doctors and health workers by paying the covid-19 inducement allowance as the second wave of the pandemic threatened the lives of not just patients but also doctors and other health care givers. He applauded the efforts of the Rivers state government for the payment of covid-19 inducement allowance to care givers at the treatment centres and the timely intervention and care given to  save the lives of seven of their colleagues infected with covid-19.
Dr Ela alerted that the highly infectious lasa fever was very much lurking, and called for vigilance one part of government, the health authorities and the public, and advocated for a special health insurance policy for doctors and other health workers in the event of death or injuries with disability.
In his remark, the Chairman of the memorial lecture and Chief Medical Director of the Rivers State Hospital s Management Board. Dr   Kenneth E. Okagua, described the late Dr Living Jamala, as “a hard working young man who devoted his life and career to the service of God and humanity”.
He recalled that, “on that fateful Christmas day (25th December 2015), a 22 years old unbooked housewife was rushed into the labour ward by her husband, unconscious with elevated blood pressure and bleeding from the nose and mouth. After resuscitation and failed attempts at labour induction, I was invited to review her and I decided she will benefit from a caesarean delivery. I was still writing my notes to take her to the theatre, when the late Dr Living noticed she was gasping for breath and rushed to revive her, we lost the patient and our colleague died days after, from lasa fever infection, despite our frantic efforts to save his life, it’s a big lossto the family and all of us.”
Delivering his key note address, the guest speaker, Dr Tondor Cleopatra Uzosike, commended (ARD)  for keeping the memory of their departed colleague alive through memorial lecture series.
He pointed out that, “one of the most complex and dangerous hazards faced by resident doctors, nurses and other health workers was work place violence, mostly as a result of combination of factors from the patients and their relatives, health workers themselves and hospital management system.”
He added that the vulnerability of health workers to infectious and terminal diseases had shortened their supply all over the world and research conducted by the world Health Organization (WHO) indicated that there would be a shortfall of 18 million health workers by 2030, particularly in developing countries.

By: Taneh Beemene