Medical guild decries shortage of doctors in Lagos hospitals

Kasara Chukwuma, Lagos

Doctors employed by the Lagos state government under the aegis of the Medical Guild have decried the shortage of medical personnel in state-owned hospitals, saying it impacts negatively on the health of its members as a result of increased work load.

According to them, many government-employed doctors have resigned due to poor welfare and the heavy work load.

Chairman of the Medical Guild, Dr. Babajide Saheed, who spoke during a press briefing in Lagos on the conclusion of its ordinary general meeting with the theme: “Challenges of inadequate human resources in the health sector: Way forward,” warned that more doctors would leave the system if nothing is done to tackle the problem.

He said: ” We are going to a level of serious crisis in Lagos state if this is not resolved. We have gotten to a stage where for instance, two doctors are doing the work of eight doctors in the gynecology and obstetrics section.

“We are in a situation whereby a doctor sees over 70-120 patients per clinic. Many of the doctors are depressed while some are coming down with mental health problems.

“Again, the burden of work has made the few doctors that they have employed to leave because the system is not good for them.”

Dr. Saheed urged the state government to address the issue to avoid crises across health facilities in the state.

“We don’t want to embark on industrial action that is why we are appealing to the government to do the needful before the crisis gets out of hand. All we are saying is that government has to employ more doctors. It cannot deny the huge shortage of doctors in the state,” he added.

The chairman noted that the shortage of medical practitioners in the system could be addressed by early replacement and recruitment of doctors into the system, adding that “let the government look at the exit list and replace those that have left the system and this should be done regularly.”

Apart from the shortage of doctors, the chairman also appealed to the state government to allow doctors choose their own health management organizations in order to make the state health insurance scheme work, stressing that all over the world people have the right to choose what they want.

He further asked the state government to organize a health summit so as to have a synergy between key stakeholders in the state’s health sector with the overall objective of promoting quality healthcare delivery in the state.

He pledged that the guild would be working with the incoming administration and to help it in the successful implementation of its good health policies.