By Ebun Babalola
It’s been tales of agony, frustration and untold hardship in the lives of patients who have been abandoned by doctors in the government owned hospitals in Lagos state.

The Lagos State doctors under the aegis of Medical Guild and the Association of Resident Doctors of  Lagos State University Teaching Hospital branch (LASUTH-ARD) have embarked on yet another strike.

The decision to resume the strike was unanimously agreed shortly after a congress of the striking doctors held in Lagos, Friday, February 4.

A visit to some of the state hospitals in Lagos has revealed that there are no activities going on in  the hospitals. Dying patients are not receiving treatment.

Some patients who spoke to Saturday Vanguard revealed that they have been abandoned and rejected . Those who have been in the hospital before the action kicked off  have been referred to Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi-Araba for further treatment. Those who came to keep doctors’ appointments in the state hospitals were told to visit the same hospital for treatment.

At Isolo General Hospital, the only activity going ground was immunization of  children. Even at the emergency centre, patients have been referred to LUTH for further treatment. The ever busy hospital has been isolated. Although nurses and other health care personnel were seen around, there was little or nothing they could do because of the strike.

some of the abandoned patients.

In Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, patients were waiting endlessly. The expression on their faces was that of frustration, agony and hopelessness. Some were seen sitting in the corridors of the hospital, waiting aimlessly and praying for God’s intervention.

Some of them revealed to Saturday Vanguard that they have financial difficulties which was their  reason for coming to the state hospital for treatment in the first place.

“There is no money on us, our families have tried for us, we are appealing to the government and doctors to have mercy on the poor and resolve whatever has been causing the constant strike.

“We know that private hospitals are there but they are more expensive, we cannot afford them. The government should consider the poor and resolve this problem on time”, they lamented.

A patient who preferred anonymity, said it was unfair for the doctors to have gone on another strike at this critical period.

“Since the commencement of the strike, patients were not being attended to. A  patient died in the Surgical Emergency Ward last Friday because the doctors refused to attend to him.

At the Special and Emergency centres, patients were sleeping on the ground while others didn’t know what next to do. Those who came for emergency purposes were not attended to because of the strike. Only the nurses and pharmaceutical officers were seen working.”

Saturday Vanguard saw thousands of patients  in the hospital lurking around in vain to receive treatment. Nurses  were turning away patients with emergency cases  as there were no doctors to attend to them.

The more they flocked  into the General Hospitals, the more disappointment they got from the doctors . Only skeletal services were being rendered by consultants .

One of the stranded patients in LASUTH, 84 year-old Ambali  who was accompanied by his son (Quadri) to the hospital at about 5p.m on Wednesday  told Saturday Vanguard that with the present situation, the only hope to survive is God.

Ambali went to LASUTH with the anticipation that he was going to get the best treatment at the hospital but unfortunately for him, he was stranded and disappointed .

His son who spoke to Saturday Vanguard said, “I am here to save my father’s life but unfortunately, nobody is ready to help me. I decided to bring him to the hospital because I believe that he will be attended to. I left the house at about 4 a.m on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 and got to LASUTH at exactly 5 a.m.but unfortunately, there was nobody to attend to me. I promised my father to accord him every necessary assistance to make him live longer but as the situation is right now, I don’t know what to do. There was nobody to attend to us until about 2 p.m when we were  referred to LUTH .

“My father  has been calling on the family to take him to LASUTH since Saturday, February 5,  before I finally consented to bring him to the hospital. I never knew that the doctors were already on strike.”

“We have exhausted all that we have on this ailment and right now, there is no money to carry out further treatment on him. Everybody has deserted us including my older siblings”.

He lamented that his father’s condition has deteriorated to the stage that his right leg is now decomposing.

“The ailment started when my father started feeling heat on his leg. We came to LASUTH before now but the excuse was that there was no bed at that time. And now that we have come again, the issue on ground is that doctors are on strike. I don’t want my father to die, Nigerians should come to my aid”, he cried.

“We live in Mangoro area of Lagos State. We can’t even access the expensive private hospital. LASUTH is our hope. Now, the same LASUTH has rejected my father, what a pity. They said they can’t attend to anybody, that they are on strike. They said there is bed but there is no doctor to attend to him. I tried my best to plead with them but nobody listened. All they could do was to refer us to LUTH.

“Right now, I have spent all that I had on me. There is nothing left except seven hundred naira which is not enough to spend at LUTH.  I am pleading with Nigerians especially Lagos State government and doctors to come to my aid. I don’t want to lose my father. I don’t want to take him home because anything can happen. All my salary is spent on treating this ailment . I don’t have any savings. My father doesn’t work, we have been taking care of him since he lost his job. And when the incident occurred, we have been spending money. No one can tell how much has been spent since this incident started. Even the private hospital that he was taken to where he stayed for 11 days rejected him.  He came to LASUTH because he believed that he would be given the best treatment here but unfortunately, he has been rejected”, he concluded.

At the Island Maternity, Lagos, the situation was the same as there were no doctors to attend to patients. Only the nurses and few consultants were working.

Patients were seen hanging around at the Igando General Hospital as there were no doctors to attend to them. Only the nurses and laboratory officers were working.

Meanwhile, at the LUTH, there have been series of challenges faced by doctors, nurses and midwives as the in-flux of patients from the General Hospitals continues by the day.

Right now, the hospital is flooded with patients but beds are not enough for their admission.

The situation on ground is that patients are sent out of the hospital premises as a result of congestion.