Affiong Agbor

A mom, a sister, a doctor and so much MORE...

[Affiong Agbor @AgborAffiong]

@Prinz_Ahmad @bukolasaraki May God open your eyes and mind to the right people and place to which you should direct your anger and frustration.

[Affiong Agbor @AgborAffiong]

@Prinz_Ahmad @bukolasaraki May you sing praises to the FG the day you or any of your relatives will come to the hospital and you will be told no oxygen, or no light to carry our surgeries, no syringe or even plaster.

[Affiong Agbor @AgborAffiong]

@Prinz_Ahmad @bukolasaraki May you never sue any doctor for making any mistake while treating any of your relatives due to fatigue. May God not judge you for not calling out the FG for not providing basic amenities and equipments for doctors to work with while on duty

[Affiong Agbor @AgborAffiong]

@Prinz_Ahmad @bukolasaraki May God bless the federal government for letting one doctor do the work of 10 doctors, for letting one doctor work 100 to 150 hours every week, for also refusing to employ doctors so the work load can reduce hence they can give you the best possible care.

[Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki @bukolasaraki]

Yesterday, I had lunch with some members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD). After commending them for their patriotic decision to call off the strike action they earlier embarked on and the sacrifices they make, they apprised me of some of the challenges they face in their daily duties.

The one that shocked me most was the revelation that many of the members put in over 100 hours of service every week. I remember that as a young doctor working in the hospitals, the maximum hour I was doing per week was 72 hours. The UK and most countries have since reduced the maximum number of hours a doctor can work in a week for safety reasons. Yet, in our country, some doctors still put in over 100 hours! This constitutes a danger to the patients those doctors attend to.

I understand that this is a result of an acute shortage of personnel. Many of our qualified doctors and nurses have left the country to practice overseas. I am even surprised to learn that not only the US, UK, Saudi Arabia, Canada, and other Western nations attract doctors from Nigeria, other African countries like Ghana, Gambia, Kenya, and Senegal now poach Nigerian doctors.

Some of the problems are not necessarily just poor remuneration but a result of bureaucratic bottlenecks which delay the prompt replacement of those who have left. Those responsible for this need to address it urgently as this, I am told, is one of the conditions for calling off the strike action.

As regards the poor pay, all state governments and the federal government should look into this. Surely countries like Gambia don’t have the resources that we have. So, it is about the premium we put on the remuneration of the medical personnel.

As a former governor and Senate President who introduced the Community Health Insurance Scheme at the state level and
initiated the inclusion of one percent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund as a basic health fund as one of the ways to improve the welfare of doctors and other health personnel, I see the danger we find ourselves if nothing is done urgently at all levels to build on these past efforts.

For the governments at national and sub-National level, in the absence of enough qualified personnel, building big hospitals and sophisticated equipment is putting the cart before the horse. And this should be reflected in setting priorities while preparing their budget.

As a matter of urgency, all stakeholders - policymakers, government officials at national and sub-national levels, non-governmental organisations, development partners, civil society groups, individuals who run health-related foundations, and others - we should all do our bit in addressing this exit of our medical doctors and nurses.

Let me at this point say kudos to the doctors for working under these tough conditions. We appreciate their patriotism.

[Senator Shehu Sani @ShehuSani]

@bukolasaraki They should resume the strike if the agreement reached is breached.

[Dr Ogar Emmanuel Idoko @Ogar_Aimee]

@nard_nigeria Doctors want a better health system for the good of the average Nigerian. This strike is to demand better for the average Nigerian and the highly placed.

Everyone must join hands with NARD to demand better from Government.
#NARDStrike

[Affiong Agbor @AgborAffiong]

@accessbank_help Why will my acct be reading 0.00 when I have money. I hope my account has not been hacked. And I called your customer care he is saying he cannot access my account details. Pls this look like fraud

[Affiong Agbor @AgborAffiong]

@accessbank_help @stomakaffairs Good day. I just opened my Access bank app and it's reading 0.00 balance. I don't understand why that is because I have money in there , I haven't been able to transfer or receive money from this account since this month. Why will my acct be reading 0.00 balance when I have money

[Affiong Agbor @AgborAffiong]

@accessbank_help Good day. I just opened my Access bank app and it's reading 0.00 balance. I don't understand why that is because I have money in there , I haven't been able to transfer or receive money from this account since this month.

[Olajumoke Oludapo-Oluwole @Olureni1]

The call duty system for Nigerian doctors needs to be restructured