| Specialists in go-slow to push for govt action | Send to a friend |
| Monday, 06 February 2012 22:43 |
|
The Citizen Reporters Dar es Salaam. A strike by doctors in public hospitals took a new twist yesterday after specialists who were providing service at the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) protested over government delays in resolving misunderstandings with striking doctors. The specialists said they have been overwhelmed by the situation and there was no way they were going to cope with the worsening condition. They urged the government to immediately find ways of resolving the conflict. A spot-check at the MNH and Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute (MOI) found that even emergence departments of the two facilities were not operating. New patients were turned out. A section of nurses were also heard in wards telling relatives to take their patients elsewhere because there were no doctors to attend them.At Sewa Hajji ward, reporters met a group of patients seating outside, after being told to leave the premises by a nurse on duty because there were no specialists doctors to attend them. They are overwhelmed and they cannot work anymore. Amina Ramadhan, 47, said that a nurse announced that they should leave because there was no more treatment. She quoted the nurse as saying: “You should leave and seek treatment elsewhere, because there are no nurses, doctors or pharmacists to help you.” Another patient, Mr Kamurase Zed John Bosco, a Rwandese studying at the University of Dar es Salaam, was taken by the UDSM management after the Rwandan envoy asked them to refer the patient to a private hospital. “I have been here since yesterday night after being involved in a fatal accident at the Mabibo hostel, but I had not received even a panadol here,” said Mr Bosco. Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Committee on Social Services yesterday started in-camera meetings with various groups of doctors in efforts to resolve the conflict.Source from inside told The Citizen that the committee had talks with interns from around 2pm. According to the source, the committee required the interns to explain their problems, which was the source of the ongoing strike by doctors. He said after meeting the interns, the committee promised to take the matter before the Parliament on Thursday. After the interns, the committee was scheduled to meet with leaders of the Medical Association of Tanzania (MAT) before meeting with interim doctors’ committee that coordinates the ongoing strike. The Citizen saw members of the interim committee members, led by their chairman, Dr Stephen Ulimboka, entering the Bunge sub offices in Dar es Salaam at around 4pm to meet with the parliamentary committee. One of the specialists, who spoke under condition of anonymity because he is not the spokesperson, said that they had agreed not to work as a way of pressing the government to seek a quick and permanent solution to the strike. “We are tired with the situation, actually, we have been very busy in helping the doctors and the government reach a consensus, but they do not seem to care, let them (the government) face the music, may be they will intervene in solving the saga,” said he. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
Comments
RSS feed for comments to this post