Resident doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, staged a protest on Monday, demanding the recruitment of more healthcare workers and the reinstatement of their suspended president, Dr. Jimoh Umar.
According to The PUNCH, the immediate past Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association in Kogi State, Dr. Olushola Baoku, decried the hospital’s acute shortage of medical personnel and the resultant strain on the workforce.
“We are overwhelmed by the excessive workload due to the insufficient number of doctors, nurses, attendants, and cleaners,” Baoku said. “We demand immediate recruitment to address these gaps and improve service delivery.”
The doctors also called for the reinstatement of Dr. Umar, the president of the Association of Resident Doctors at FTHL, who was suspended in 2024 for actions taken as a union leader.
Baoku disclosed that the Federal Government, through the Minister of Health, Prof. Ali Pate, had already directed Dr. Umar’s reinstatement.
“It is unacceptable that despite the directive, Dr. Umar has not been reinstated. We are urging the hospital management to comply with the Minister’s directive immediately,” he added.
Baoku criticized the hospital’s leadership for what he described as a “self-inflicted migration” of medical professionals, attributing the trend to the casualization of healthcare workers.
“This is not just about the popular ‘Japa syndrome.’ Doctors are leaving because they are treated casually and unfairly. The Chief Medical Director must take responsibility and advertise vacancies for recruitment without delay,” Baoku stated.
While acknowledging the Chief Medical Director’s claim that recruitment waivers have not been granted by the federal government, the doctors appealed to the Minister of Health to intervene and facilitate the process.
“We need urgent waivers to recruit more staff. This hospital cannot function effectively under the current conditions,” Baoku stressed.
He further warned against any form of victimization of doctors for expressing their grievances, emphasizing their right to demand equity and fairness.
“There must be no backlash against doctors for speaking out. Our demands are straightforward: all departments and units, including Accident & Emergency, X-ray, ICU, and Dialysis Unit, must function efficiently. This aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda to deliver quality healthcare to Nigerians,” he said.
The protesting doctors revealed that multiple complaints had been lodged with the Minister of Health, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and the Head of Service before resorting to the protest.
They warned that continued inaction could jeopardize healthcare delivery at the hospital and undermine the Federal Government’s commitment to improving health services across the country.
