Over exhaustion, lack of salary payment is reportedly killing people in Kogi State

According to the reports, another doctor identified as Dr Idris Nuhu, as well as three nurses and a ward attendant, also slumped while at work and have been placed on admission.

The incidences have been blamed on exhaustion and lack of salary payment.

THISDAY reports that these victims are a few amongst many others who are yet to be paid since the State government adopted traffic payment method.

ALSO READ: State civil service director commits suicide

Dr Rosemary who was the Head of Department of Internal Medicine was reportedly admitted on Sunday, June 17, 2018, after she slumped.

She reportedly developed heart-related complications at about 2 am in the morning. Although her colleagues fought to save her life for over five hours, she gave up the ghost in the early hours of Monday, June 18, 2018.

Dr Nuhu and the three nurses are reported to have slumped simultaneously upon hearing the news of Dr Rosemary's death and have reportedly been admitted to the maternity ward of the hospital.

One of the hospital staff revealed that Dr Rosemary's death was connected to financial problems, as the deceased had been heard lamenting over the fact that her name was omitted in the list for the March Salaries Payment.

This put a strain on her as she had medication which she could no longer afford to buy what with the lack of salary payment.

Confirming the sad incident, the Secretary, Association of Residence Doctors, Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Dr Moses Adaudi, stated that Dr Rosemary's death can be blamed on the lack of an Intensive Care Unit in the hospital where she could have gotten much-needed attention after she developed complications.

“There was no (oxygen) spanner to place her on oxygen even when she was to undergo some tests…there was money to carry out the test,” he alleged.

Dr Adaudi called on the Kogi state government to provide for the welfare of civil servants and make it a top priority.

Unfortunately, Dr Rosemary's death is not the only that has been tied to the lack of salary payments in Kogi State.

Kogi worker weeps over death of child due to unpaid salaries

Despite several claims by the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, that he is not owing civil servants in the state, the reality on the grounds show that things are far from what he paints.

This reality, according to the residents in the state, has been so bad that parents can no longer afford to take care of their family's needs like school fees, medical bills, and feeding.

According to a Facebook user, Ogirima Nana Sule who posted this pathetic video on the social media, this man, a civil servant in the state was not able to pay the medical bills of his young daughter leading to the death of the child which moved him into weeping uncontrollably.

It was gathered that the young girl passed away because her parents could not afford to pay her hospital bills and as such, could not be treated.

The father of the deceased was captured on camera weeping like a baby, calling his daughter’s name and lamenting the fact that his owed salaries led to her death. He also begged her to forgive him, narrating that he could not save her life when she needed him.

He went on to explain that the Kogi State government owes him a ten-month salary and that was the reason he could not afford the money to save his beloved daughter from her sickness.

Recall that on Saturday, October 21, 2017, a Director in the Kogi State civil service, Mr. Edward Soje, had committed suicide by hanging himself on a tree in Lokoja, the state capital.

In a suicide note he left behind, the 54-year-old Grade Level 16 officer said he decided to kill himself as he could not take care of his family due to the fact that he was being owed 11 months’ salary arrears.

His suicide also came 10 days after his wife gave birth to a set of male triplets in a private hospital in Abuja, after being childless for many years.

ALSO READ: 'Director did not commit suicide over salaries' - Kogi Government

However, the state government through the Head of Service, Deborah Ogunmola, had debunked the allegations that Soje took his life because he was owed salaries.

In her explanation, Ogunmola said there was no evidence that he committed suicide due to owed salaries as he had been paid as recently as December 2016, while he was in line to be paid again this month.