Doctors’ strike: Patient dies as life support machine goes off at UITH
A patient at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital in Kwara State, Olusola Olagunju, has reportedly died following an industrial action by health workers in the Teaching Hospital over an assault on one of the health workers.
Channels Television reported that the patient who had been on life support was said to have died after the aggrieved workers switched off the oxygen on Tuesday.
A friend of the deceased, Ezekiel Adewole, said that the patient died before been evacuated to another hospital for medical attention.
“He was referred to UITH, Ilorin for treatment. He has been undergoing this treatment for a while. He had difficulty in breathing, that is the only issue he had.
“He was okay, very active online. He was always on online – WhatsApp, Twitter and all others. The only thing is that he could not talk frequently on phone.
Adewole stated that the victim who was on life support died after the workers switched off the hospital light.
In addition, he said the family could not use the hospital’s ambulance to convey the victim to another hospital because the drivers were also on strike.
“He was using the support of oxygen. On Tuesday, we heard that the UITH went on strike. On that fateful day, they switched off their light.
“This guy was living on oxygen, electric oxygen. Immediately they switched off their light, he could not use the oxygen any longer and that was how his system collapsed.
But reacting, the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) at the medical facility registered its displeasure over the situation that cost the patient’s life.
NARD Chairman, Lanre Oloshunde, however insisted that as medical practitioners, patients owe them the respect as they perform their duties.
“We have suspended the strike. The strike was informed from a security situation that happened at the hospital in which one of our doctors was assaulted on duty
“Since then, the management of the hospital has been able to respond with some security measures. At least to some extent, that has guaranteed the safety of our members being able to work.
“We heard that our security was not guaranteed then, that is why we had to go on strike. Thankfully, there has been some security improvements so far in this regard,” he said.
While praying that the situation does not repeat itself again, Oloshunde advised members of the public against attacking health workers.
