Port Harcourt – Patients at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital(UPTH), had deserted the hospital following the nine-day old strike embarked upon by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).
Some medical doctors who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the strike which began on March 31 was biting hard because nurses and other essential support staff were not at work.
“ Patients left on their own volition to other private and state government owned hospitals to receive treatment because of the strike,” one of the doctors said.
Mr Christian Awoibi, Chairman of JOHESU at the hospital, said the five Industrial unions went on strike because its pharmacy department lacked essential drugs.
He said that services in some departments had become non-functional and management had refused to attend to these problems.
Awoibi also said nurses are owed allowances for more than four years.
“ We appeal to the Federal Government to intervene and hear our case. As we speak, beds in the hospital are empty because only doctors are working,” he said.
Awoibi also said the union would soon meet its national leadership to parley on the strike.
The Chief Medical Director of the hospital was not on sit to react to the issues raised by the unions. (NAN)
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