By Dada Ahmed in Lokoja.
Full healthcare services resumed on Wednesday at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Lokoja, following the suspension of the two months strike by members of National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD),just as the hospital commissioned the first endoscopic machine in 30-year-old Kogi state.
The Correspondent of The Reporters who visited the hospital, the largest federal government health institution in the state, reports that many of the resident doctors were seen at their duty posts attending to patients.
Some of the patients,who spoke with our Correspondent, expressed delight over the suspension of the strike, describing the developmnt as a big relief to them and called on the parties involved to iron out the problem amicably,to avoid a recurrence.
The online publication recalls that the affected doctors pressed home their demands for issues bordering on their welfare among others, while the strike lasted.
Earlier while commissioning the machine on Tuesday at the premises of the hospital, its Chief Medical Director,(CMD), Dr Olatunde Alabi, said the machine would put an end to medical tourism by patients from the state.
CMD,FMC, Lokoja (R), Dr Alabi, commissioning the machine.
He added that it would help doctors to examine patients that had bleeding peptic ulcer, cancer of the stomach, cancer of the throat, cancer of the duodenum, bleeding from the anus among others ailments.
According to Alabi, when a patient is diagnosed with the machine, the machine enables the medical personnel to put in place the necessary surgical treatment.
Explaining further, the CMD said,”Endoscopic means a machine that can be used to examine an internal organ. It is the first of its kind in Kogi State. It is a state-of-the-art equipment. We have one here for the gastrointestinal system that can examine both the upper organs and many more.
“That is, starting from the esophagus to the stomach and part of the duodenum and the lower one, the rectum and the colon. It is flexible endoscopic machine.
“We have two types. This is the modern one. It will help the patients as they don’t have to go far to Ilorin, Abuja or any other parts of the country again for treatment. It will reduce the financial burden on the patients.
” We have capable hands that can operate this machine and diagnose conditions I earlier mentioned, and equally treat them effectively.”
Alabi said the Federal Government had continued to provide medical equipment for FMC Lokoja, stressing that the present management was also making effort to furnish the Intensive Care Unit, (ICU), provide ventilators and monitors for the hospital.
He added that the health institution also benefited from the molecular laboratory provided by the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government.
” Our people in Kogi State will no longer go to other parts of the state for treatment, as every medical equipment will be available in FMC for use.
“We will soon have machine that we can use to investigate the heart and this will help to enhance the treatment of patients in Kogi State” he added.
Earlier, the Head of Clinical Services of the hospital, Dr Bernard Ododo, praised the present management of the health institution for their transformation effort in changing the face of the hospital.
Dr Ododo,who noted that “this is the first time in the history of FMC Lokoja that the hospital will receive such a remarkable face lift”, assured that with the new endoscopic machine in place, patients would get the best of medical services from the hospital.
