Another doctor slumps in Kogi

Anxiety gripped staff of Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja yesterday when a doctor in the Peadiatric Unit, Dr. Amos Ojo, slumped while on duty at the hospital.

This is coming after a doctor in June this year, Dr. Chukwudibe Rosemary, who was head of the Department of Internal Medicine, slumped and died at the hospital.

In yesterday’s incidence, the doctor was said to be on ward round at about noon when he suddenly collapsed due to exhaustion from work overload. He was, however, revived.

A nurse, who noticed the development, raised the alarm and he was rushed to the Accident and Emergency Ward of the hospital for resuscitation.

Another doctor from the Pediatric Unit was also said to be receiving attention currently in at home.

It was gathered from health workers that the pressure of work had been much on doctors following the mass exodus of physicians from the hospital, as about 27 doctors were said to have left the hospital in recent time on account of poor welfare.

President of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at the Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Dr. Ashraf Abdulhakeem, who confirmed the incident, said the doctor was resuscitated and currently in stable condition.

“Actually, there are two of our doctors that are having issues. In the late hours of Wednesday, one of the doctors who were on call at the Pediatric Unit took ill and had to go home. Unfortunately, over the night, it escalated and we had to attend to him in his house.

“This morning (Thursday) at about 12 noon, another doctor who also works in the Pediatric Unit also collapsed. These are the two cases involving our doctors between Wednesday night and Thursday.

“Some of our doctors have left the hospital and they have not been replaced. That has now increased the pressure of work on the ones on ground. In the case of the doctor who was sick, he couldn’t go home because there are not enough hands. They have to stay back to see if they could work and that has resulted to what we have right now. We haven’t had enough manpower for quite sometime now”, he said.

He called on the state government to address the welfare of the doctors and generality of workers in the state, adding that: “If the wellbeing of doctors is taken care of, some of these acute breakdown we see would not arise.”