Declare state of emergency in ABSUTH, South-East doctors tell Governor Ikpeazu

The South-East caucus of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has called for a declaration of state of emergency in Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), Aba.

The leader of the caucus, Dr Chijioke Udu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday that the call became necessary following the rot in the institution.

Udu urged the state government to take the needed steps to address the challenges that had reduced the institution to the unfortunate level, adding that “a state of emergency will do a whole lot to salvage it”.

According to him, the situation in ABSUTH is such that no one will like to take their dear ones there for medical attention.

“It is very critical. You cannot even afford ordinary hand gloves.

“There is decay in all the facilities there and the workers who are trying to salvage what is left there are asked to go hungry due to non-payment of salaries,” he said.

Udu, who is the president of NARD, Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, said that there was no tertiary health facility in the zone that did not have issues.

“But there are ones you can overlook while the situations are getting out of hand in others.

“As a caucus, we will not sit down and watch our members being victimised and punished for the sin they did not commit.

“You cannot ask one to work for four months without salaries and expect them to give their best. Patients cannot even get the basic things they are supposed to get,” he said.

“Workers in ABSUTH have been having perennial salary issues for several months. Anytime the state government clears the debts they will begin to accumulate another one.

“That is why in that centre you cannot begin to imagine what is happening there. Patients are not getting the best,” he said

Udu said that the only functional tertiary health centre in the state, Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, was being overburdened as a result of the rot in ABSUTH.

“We appeal to the state government to ensure that normalcy returns to the facility and that workers begin to enjoy the benefits of their services,” Udu said.