Nigerian Medical Association, NMA has called for the removal of the Chief Medical Directors of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Prof. Chris Bode and his counterpart at the Federal Neuro- Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Dr. Raheem Lawal because they have both attained the mandatory retirement age.
Chairman of the state NMA, Dr. Tope Ojo while addressing journalists in Lagos said “We asked that the present medical directors should step down immediately to make way for the process of appointing new ones. They have both attained the mandatory retirement age of 60 years. It is important that they respect the civil service rule to prevent crisis in these hospitals.
“The ongoing strike by consultants and other health workers at the psychiatric hospital in Yaba is solely to ensure the termination of the tenure of the medical director and to put an end to flagrant disregard for rules at the hospital.
“The LUTH management, apart from non – payment of arrears of various emoluments of doctors, such as examination fee, update course fee, promotion arrears, etc has also being frustrating some associations, the recent being the stoppage of the legitimate deducted union dues payable to the doctor association by their members.”
Meanwhile NMA, Rivers State Chapter has condemned the shortage of doctors and nurses in the country.
Dr Ibifuro Green while speaking with News Agency of Nigeria said “The World Health Organisation has recommended that one doctor should attend to not more than 600 patients but the ratio in Nigeria is one doctor to about 4,000 patients.
“The ratio is even worse with nurses, the nurse–patient ratio compared to doctors is even worse because you should have one nurse attending to about four patients.
“When you work out the ratio, you know why nurses are always badly painted in public hospitals because they are not many.
We need massive upgrading of personnel in the healthcare industry, there are some categories of personnel we need that are not available at all, the biomedical engineers for example.
“In India, you have biomedical engineers who go round the wards two times a week, checking out the trolleys, checking out the doors and closing them and so on.
“In the theatres, before a surgeon goes in to operate, they (engineers) have to check out the instruments and okay them, they do that on a daily basis and they are around within the theatre environment.”
