Japa: LUTH shut down five wards over manpower shortage
At the Lagos University Teaching Hospital in Idi-Araba, five wards totaling around 150 beds have been closed because of a staffing deficit, according to the House of Representatives Committee on Health.
Despite the fact that a huge number of patients visit the hospital every day, the committee chairman, Dr. Amos Magaji, stated that the five wards had to be closed since there were insufficient medical personnel to staff them.
The head of the health committee acknowledged that brain drain posed a threat to the institution but also pointed out that many medical professionals, particularly physicians and nurses, had departed LUTH for better opportunities elsewhere.
Speaking to reporters soon after an oversight visit to the tertiary facility in Magaji, he stated that the nation is being embarrassed by the concerning rate at which health workers are migrating.
Nonetheless, he stated that efforts are being made to stop the widespread departure of medical personnel overseas.
“We observed serious issues here. There are currently five wards at LUTH with a combined total of 150 beds that are closed since there aren’t any nurses or doctors on duty. And these are the outcome of our current “Japa” syndrome.
“As a committee, we will collaborate with the federal government and the teaching hospital to find a solution to this nation’s embarrassing circumstances.
“We’re going to approach it piecemeal; it’s not something that can be fixed in a day. We’ll take care of the things we can do both now and in the future.
“With God’s grace, we are examining potential solutions for some of the ‘japa’ problems, beginning with university enrollment, moving on to house officer employment, and concluding with the residency program.”
The chairman of the health committee emphasized again, “We also look at issues of funding,” even if he acknowledged that many medical professionals in the nation operate under difficult circumstances. Since many health workers in Nigeria are really employed outside of the country, we are also examining infrastructure-related challenges.
They have given up so much so that Nigerians might live healthy lives and have access to quality medical care. All hands are on deck, which is why, if you were here previously, you found that some of the most important issues and topics we addressed here had to do with providing Nigerians with accessible and reasonably priced health care.
Professor Wasiu Adeyemo, the Chief Medical Director of LUTH, called on corporate leaders and organizations to collaborate with the institution in providing high-quality healthcare to the populace.
The hospital will continue to pursue public-private partnerships in radiodiagnosis, lab services, several ophthalmology services, several dental services, and cancer management, according to the CMD.
He insisted that working together with the other stakeholders would be very helpful in resolving some of the most important issues the health sector is now dealing with.
Credit: Punch
