Resident doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, under the Association of Resident Doctors, staged a protest on Monday.

The docto?s demanded the urgent recruitment of medical personnel to address the critical shortage of staff and the reinstatement of their suspended president, Dr Jimoh Umar.

During the protest at the hospital premises, the immediate past Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association in Kogi State, Dr Olushola Baoku, condemned the excessive workload caused by a dwindling workforce.

He stressed the need to recruit more doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers.

?We are demanding the recruitment of more doctors at FTHL because we are overwhelmed by work overload due to the gross inadequacy of doctors, nurses, attendants, and even cleaners,? Baoku said.

?We are also calling for the immediate reinstatement of the ARD FTHL President, as directed by the Minister.?

Baoku described the staff shortage as a ?self-inflicted migration? rather than the popularly termed ?Japa syndrome,? attributing it to the casualisation of doctors, which has driven many to leave the hospital.

?We call on the CMD to advertise and recruit more doctors and health workers immediately.

?Even though the CMD claims he has not been granted waivers by the federal government, we appeal to the Minister to urgently grant waivers to enable recruitment,? he said.

Baoku also emphasised that the protesting doctors would not tolerate any victimisation for exercising their constitutional right to demand equity, fairness, and accountability.

?There should be no victimisation for demanding our rights. We should not be silenced or queried for speaking out. Our demands are clear: all departments and equipment at FTHL?A&E, X-ray, ICU, Dialysis Unit?must function efficiently.

?This is in line with the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu to deliver quality healthcare to Nigerians,? he said.

The doctors further demanded immediate compliance with the Federal Government directive by the Minister of Health, Prof. Ali Pate, which approved the reinstatement of the suspended ARD FTHL President, Umar.

Umar was suspended in 2024 for actions carried out as a union leader, a decision taken collectively by the resident doctors at FTHL.

?We have written several letters of complaint to the Minister, the SGF, and the Head of Service to the Federation before resorting to this final protest,? Baoku noted.

The doctors urged the hospital management and the Federal Government to act swiftly, warning that further inaction could jeopardise service delivery and undermine President Tinubu?s healthcare vision for Nigerians. (The PUNCH)