Shortage of Bed in Emergency Units & Incessant Strikes by Doctors Has Dealt a Blow on Nigeria Health Care Delivery – Especially FCT Abuja

Shortage of Bed in Emergency Units & Incessant Strike by Doctors Has Dealt a Blow on Nigeria Health Care Delivery – Especially FCT Abuja

By Gabriel Oman, Abuja

The report captures how numerous patients have been turned away from accessing proper medical services.

The hospitals are Garki General Hospital, Wuse District Hospital, Maitama Hospital, Asokoro District Hospital and Kubwa Hospital.

Besides the shortage of human resources in Garki General Hospital, #TheICIR observed that the facility lacked adequate bed spaces. This, the hospital argued, was not due to inadequate bed space but the small capacity of the ward.

For instance, the Emergency Ward for adults only had four beds separated by cotton and another two in a small room.

Lucky patients got space after queuing for hours.

At Maitama Hospital, due to the inadequate hospital beds at the emergency unit, patients queue to get the health workers’ attention, leading to overcrowding at the unit’s entrance.

Some who could not wait because of their conditions were referred to private hospitals, which charge exorbitant bills.

At Wuse District Hospital, #TheICIR also met another patient who had to wait more than two hours before being wheeled out to Garki Hospital because he would not be attended to.

Meanwhile, at Garki, the patient was not lucky to get a bed space and had to be attended to in a wheelchair in the corridor of the emergency unit. The medical attendants on duty placed him on a drip and gave him other first-aid care.