The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Lagos State Branch, has criticised the management of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), over its decision to discontinue the provision of free call duty meals for doctors on hospital duty.
Speaking during a press briefing in Lagos on Thursday, the Chairman of NMA Lagos, Dr. Saheed Babajide, described the move by the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Professor Wasiu Adeyemo, as “unacceptable and insensitive,” stressing that the welfare of doctors must not be compromised.
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Babajide recalled that during a courtesy visit to the CMD’s office earlier in the year, the hospital administration announced plans to replace free call meals with a canteen system where doctors could purchase food at subsidised rates. He noted that the proposal was immediately rejected by the NMA Congress, which insisted that call duty meals were an established welfare entitlement, not a privilege.
“It is shocking that a federal tertiary hospital that charges patients fees comparable to or even higher than some private hospitals would claim it lacks funds to feed doctors who stay overnight saving lives,” Babajide said.
He accused the hospital management of neglecting its duty to support frontline healthcare workers, calling the decision a “betrayal of leadership and professional ethics.”
The NMA chairman directed LUTH’s management to restore the provision of free call duty meals without delay, warning that any failure to comply would attract strong resistance from the Association.
Babajide also urged the Federal Government to address the welfare challenges facing medical professionals, including the implementation of NARD’s demands and the reconstitution of hospital management boards, to prevent further decline in the country’s public healthcare system.
He reaffirmed NMA Lagos’ commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of doctors, adding that the association would not tolerate any form of intimidation or disregard for its members’ welfare.
