Table 4 Common consequences of healthcare worker strikes in Nigeria
From: Healthcare workers’ industrial action in Nigeria: a cross-sectional survey of Nigerian physicians
Description | Comments on strike consequences |
|---|---|
Service delivery impacts | Skeletal services; Patients are unable to access healthcare services; Poor patient care; Patients suffer as patients that need attention are denied specialist attention; Beneficial departmental activities are stalled/cancelled; Disruption in service rendition |
Morbidity and mortality impacts | Loss of lives; Increased morbidity and its complications, increase in maternal and child mortality, overall mortality and morbidity: Patients who cannot afford private facility bills may end up dying |
Institutional impacts | Reduced revenue generation by the hospitals; Loss of confidence in the system; Industrial actions weaken the health system and constantly dragging the system backwards; negatively affects the productivity of a particular institution; Increased distrust of the public health system by the general public, dissatisfaction of clients/patients; Conflicts between employees and management: Reduced internally generated revenues; Disruption in key health services including immunization and Prevention of Mother-to-child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services; Low productivity |
Professional impacts | Loss of dignity and respect for the profession; Poor public perception of medical personnel; Unhappy doctor; Reduced efficiency of human and material resources; Unhealthy inter- and intra-health workers relationships |
Healthcare outcomes impacts | Distortions of patient care outcome parameters (both clinical and patient satisfaction) |
Governmental impacts | Government agencies responsible for reason for strike actions suddenly wake up to respond to the agitated needs; Medical tourism and capital flight |
Training impacts | Residents, especially in clinical departments, do not get to do enough procedures to meet the requirement of the various colleges in good time; Poor performances in postgraduate examinations with huge financial losses; Delayed clinical posting of medical students leading to overstay in the university; Disruption of research activities |