Seyi Tayese, Yenagoa
Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, James Omietimi, over the weekend disclosed that the hospital has yet to receive any tangible support from the state government, despite the fact that most of the elites in the state asses medical care from the hospital.
The CMD pleaded with the state government under Governor Douye Diri to open doors for partnership with the hospital, advising, “Let it not only be when there is a major problem that the state will come up with support”.
Addressing members of the Federated Correspondents Chapel of the NUJ Bayesa State Council, in Yenagoa, after an independent tour by the group, lamented the shortage of personnel in the hospital due to the ‘Japa’ Syndrome, saying Federal Government should do well to allow the hospital to make some employment to replace the doctors, nurses, lab scientists and physiotherapists, among others, that have left in search of greener pastures.
Omietimi assured the public of better services at the hospital.
He advised women looking for babies to come for IVF at the hospital, disclosing that the hospital now gives the service at a cheaper rate.
He said, “For now, we are not getting support from the state government but we are friends with the state. The majority of the people that come here are from the state. So, that is part of the discussion we intend to hold going forward. The state can support us in other areas.
“The state has supported us in the past and I believe that they will still support us. The state government can help because the senior state functionaries and citizens come to this hospital to access care. Let us not wait until something terrible happens before the state government will support what we are doing.
“Funding is a major problem. It is not limited to us. Most of the equipment we use in government hospitals like the consumables, a lot of them are imported. We need a lot of money to purchase things that we use here. Another challenge which is not limited to us, is the Japa Syndrome. It is a major problem. And the bulk of the people that are leaving are the clinical people that render clinical services. Doctors, nurses, Pharmacists Lab scientists, Physiotherapists.
“They are leaving in droves on a daily basis. The departments are grossly understaffed. People that are working are overworked. In my department, we have only one registrar, a department that we used to have like fifteen registrars. Surgery is the same thing. Pediatrics, we have one. Medicine we have one. The younger Doctors are leaving the country in droves; that is a major problem and we need to replace them and for us to replace them, we need the permission of the Federal Government before we can replace them. Manpower shortage is a major problem. The government has put machinery in order for us to replace them but we have not got the final clearance”.
Suggesting how to solve the Japa Syndrome, he said, “People will always move when they have opportunity for greener pastures and what they believe are better opportunities coupled with the insecurity that we have in the country. Inadequate remuneration is also one of the things that is making them leave. The government should look at the issue of infrastructure and equipment that people need to work with”.
“They should also look at increasing the retirement age for health workers. The government has been on this for quite some time. Judges retire at seventy, they should look at that angle too. This has been on the front burner for some time. A lot of health workers can still render services up to sixty five, seventy years.
“In some countries, they work even up to eighty, as long as they can work. Let them increase the retirement age from sixty to sixty five and for consultants, to seventy. Those are some of the things that are driving health workers to other countries. If they can look at those areas, it will reduce the number of people that are leaving the country for greener pastures”.
Assuring that very soon patients will not have to struggle to get assistance at the hospital, he said, “A time will come when we will be able to digitalize the whole hospital to a point when you come with your card, all we will do is to slot in your card and with that your card, everything about you will appear.
“When we get to that stage, anything you need will be brought to your bed side. We hope to digitalize the whole hospital so that services will be connected”.
