DOCTORS' STRIKE: RELATIVES WITHDRAW LUTH PATIENTS!

There was confusion at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital on Monday as many relatives of patients at the teaching hospital took them away from LUTH.

The doctors at the hospital had begun strike on Monday, grounding medical activities in the hospital.

Some of the relatives said doctors at the place advised them to take their people who were patients at LUTH to other hospitals.

It was gathered that some patients had moved out of the hospital.

A journalist, who was at some wards in LUTH around 4pm on Monday posing as a visitor, observed that neither doctors nor nurses were on ground.

At Ward B1, only four patients were sighted while other bed spaces were vacant. There was also no electricity supply in the wards. The same situation were noticed in wards C and E.

At the hospital’s kitchen, cooks were barely present to prepare food for the sick.

The mother of a patient who is inflicted with renal cancer said her ailing daughter had been on the sick bed unattended to since Saturday.

“We have been here since Saturday without any doctor to attend to my daughter. This morning, we were told to go to another hospital. They later allowed us to stay back after begging. But there is no response from the doctors yet,” the woman identified simply as Mama Ayo, said.

Also, the patient, who pleaded anonymity for safety reason, said, “Please, help us appeal to them to stop the strike. I am dying.”

A 40-year-old, Mr. Tunde Ogunleye, alleged that his wife’s death was caused by the strike.

Ogunleye said he had spent more than N200, 000 on his wife’s ailment before she gave up on Friday, adding that adequate attention was not given to her prior to the strike.

“I had to borrow from relatives and friends to settle her bills. Now, I have no money on me to pay for the release of her corpse,” Ogunleye said.

Attempts to speak to the Public Relations Officer of the hospital proved abortive as calls made to his mobile phone did not go through.

When newsmen visited his office, they were told that the PRO was not around.