Medical Guild laments shortage of doctors in Lagos hospitals

The Medical Guild, a body of health professionals in the employ of the Lagos State government, have raised the alarm over what it called the ‘acute shortage’ of medical professionals in health centres across the state.

According to the guild, the situation is already affecting the quality of care patients receive at the medical facilities.

The doctors raised the alarm on Monday during a press conference in Lagos addressed by the guild’s chairman, Dr. Babajide Saheed, adding that the situation is such that two doctors are currently doing the job of eight doctors.

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Saheed said: “We are currently experiencing an acute shortage of manpower; we have gotten to a stage where two doctors are on call in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Theatre, Ward Management, Emergency and Labour Ward. The same thing is happening with General Outpatient Departments where one doctor is attending to 70 to 120 patients every day.

“To worsen the situation, the newly commissioned Ayinke House has created a problem for Ifako Ijaiye and Orile Agege General Hospitals because some of the doctors have been moved to Ayinke house and you wonder who is going to take over the vacuum created by such movement.”

Appealing to the state government to urgently address the situation, Saheed said: ”Government needs to replace those that have exited from service. Resident doctors at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital had embarked on strike twice over the acute shortage of resident doctors and house officers. We don’t want such a thing to happen again. We don’t want to embark on industrial action that is why we are appealing to the Lagos State government to do the needful by recruiting more personnel.”

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