Friday, March 29, 2024

JOHESU strike: Business booms in private hospitals, traditional birth centres

As the ongoing nationwide strike by the members of the Joint Health Sector Workers Union takes its toll on patients, many private hospitals, maternity and traditional birth attendant centres in Lagos and other parts of the country are now experiencing a boom in patronage and business.

Nigerians seeking medical attention and treatment have now turned in large numbers to private health providers.

The health workers’ strike, which began on September 20, has affected normal medical services in Federal Government-owned hospitals, teaching hospitals and health centers, which normally receive a larger percentage of outpatients and inpatients for all sorts of ailments across the country.

Patients on admission at the Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital in Kaduna complained bitterly of the inadequate number of medics to take care of them.

Many of them told our correspondents that they were already contemplating moving to private hospitals in the city to get better medical attention and treatment.

Investigations by our correspondent revealed that patronage of many private hospitals in Lagos has tremendously increased. Also, patients, who still throng the premises of government-owned hospitals in spite of the ongoing strike, disclosed that the industrial action was strictly being observed because doctors advised them to rather approach private hospitals for their health needs.

At the Orile Agege General Hospital, a non-medical staff, who pleaded anonymity, disclosed that the hospital, which used to be frequented by over 200 persons daily for various medical and consultancy appointments, had become a shadow of itself ever since the commencement of the health workers’ strike.

“I started working here two years ago and I have never seen our hospital so empty and quiet. In fact, the few workers that are around, mostly doctors, have been sitting idle; doing nothing and this makes some of them to close earlier than the normal time,” she said.

At the Olive Private Medical Center, Ayobo, Lagos, the hospital was full of people waiting to get medical attention, both at the emergency and ante-natal units. The wards were fully occupied. Cars that conveyed patients took over the premises of the hospital, leaving little space for the pedestrians.

The hospital’s Front Desk Officer, Mrs. Yemi Adaja, said that the hospital had recorded increased patronage ever since the resident doctors went on strike in August.

Adaja added that the patronage in the hospital had been so high that it had to refer patients to other “equally good” hospitals around the neighbourhood.

A resident of Ketu, Mr. Olaoye Kazeem, told our correspondent that he had to quickly transfer his son, who recently underwent surgery for appendicitis, to a private hospital a day before the health workers at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital downed tools.

Kazeem said that his son was now recuperating at a private hospital in Yaba, Lagos, adding that since the health workers’ strike began, every department in the private hospital, where his son was being taken care of, had been experiencing increase in the number of patients, unlike when the situation was normal.

A midwife and home birth professional, Mrs. Rosemary Uchenna, said that traditional and home birth centres had been recording an increase in patronage because those patients close to their Expected Delivery Date had been coming in droves for medical services and treatment.

“All I can say is that the strike has been profitable for me and some of my colleagues, but you know, we only deal with some specific kind of health services as we cannot handle all health issues, so I urge the workers and the government to work out contending issues so that people who need medical services can get them at the appropriate time,” she said.

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