Virtually all government hospitals in Kano state have compulsorily discharged their patients following the indefinite strike embarked upon by the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, to press home their demands with the Federal Government.
Our correspondent in Kano reports that relatives of some affected patients were seen evacuating their loved ones while some patients that could not afford the exorbitant charges of private hospitals remain stranded within the premises of hospitals.
Mostly affected by the strike action which started on Tuesday, include the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH,), Dala Orthopedic Hospital, Nassarawa and Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospitals in Kano metropolis.
However some nurses who were seen running skeletal services called on the concerned authorities to come to their aid as there was a limit to the assistance they can render.
While commenting on the fate of the stranded patients as the strike continues, Head of Information Unit at AKTH, Aminu Inuwa said officially, no single patient should remain in the hospital as they were all discharged since yesterday.
Meanwhile, in another development ,the Kano Chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA had earlier justified reason for its strike, saying its was aimed at bringing improvement in the nation’s health sector but not to worsen patients’ conditions.
Kano State NMA Chairman, Dr. Sharafuddeen Mashi, who spoke at a press conference in Kano however blamed the Federal Government for failure to address the lingering problems in the health sector.
Dr Mashi however noted that due to neglect in the sector a doctor caters for about 6,296 patients in Nigeria which is grossly against the standards set by WHO; of one doctor to 600 patients.
He added that the strike will affect doctors working in federal and state hospitals urging Nigerians to prevail on the governments to address the matter with utmost urgency and priority.
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