Babatunji Wusu –
The unsettling deaths of their colleagues in Lagos State have prompted concerns from the Medical Guild.
At least fifteen doctors have passed away in the state in the previous six months, according to Dr. Sa’eid Ahmad, the Chairman of the Guild, who made this observation on Sunday during a news conference in Lagos.
Speaking about the next Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the guild, Ahmad revealed this.
He urged the Lagos State Government to put healthcare workers’ lives and health first in his speech.
Ahmad noted that the guild had experienced a great deal of hardship in the previous year, mostly as a result of the ongoing co-morbidities that were made worse by the reduction in staff and the ensuing overwork placed on service point employees. He noted that the guild had also suffered the sad loss of a number of its members.
“The tragic event of the elevator collapse in the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos, which claimed the life of our young colleague, the Late Dr. Vwaere Diaso, probably brought the attendant sense of loss to its peak.”
“Some other colleagues were to die one after the other, sometimes more than once over the course of a few days,” Ahmad stated.
He claims that the upsetting incidents are an unavoidable wake-up call to sharpen awareness of self-care and increase involvement with the government in order to put the health and life of state healthcare personnel first.
Ahmad said, “These are the people whose hands the health and lives of the people are entrusted.” The guild produced a thorough position document through a series of emergency general assemblies and consultations.
According to him, the document prompted the state government to act immediately in order to save the deteriorating health of the healthcare professionals.
According to Ahmad, the booklet provided realistic and feasible answers while identifying the causes of the welfare issues that led to the mass departure.
“We had called for categories of short-, medium-, and long-term solutions to these issues, including the fundamental requirement that healthcare professionals be able to get critically important care within the framework of the systems in which they operate.
“On behalf of our members, this document has served as the cornerstone for our highest level policy conversations with the Lagos State government.
The PUNCH cited Ahmad as stating, “We hope that these discussions produce policy pronouncements and actionable directives at any moment.”
He disclosed that the guild has allotted N21.5 million through its Office of Social Welfare to help ailing members as soon as possible and support the relatives of the departed during their sad moments.
In order to guarantee that members have adequate housing and easy access to a vehicle for their everyday trip to work, the chairman stated that the guild has started housing mortgage and car facilities.
Ahmad commended the administration for putting the required financial measures in place from August 2023 and for successfully resolving all concerns pertaining to the demotion and stagnation of in-service trained specialists.
Ahmad stressed that major gains might be made by utilizing the intellectual capital offered by stakeholders and health officials.
He claimed that this strategy will make a significant contribution to the creation of sensible policy formulation and execution plans, which will ultimately result in the preservation of lives and an improvement in the general well-being of the populace.
