Many patients have continued to grapple with hardship amid the cash crunch that has worsened access to healthcare services in most hospitals in Lagos.

A check by correspondents on Monday showed that the situation had worsened as healthcare workers were stranded due to the unavailability of cash for transport fares.

Adetoun Gbadegesin, a nurse at a primary healthcare centre, said many health workers at her facility were absent from their duty posts due to a lack of funds.

“I tried to source cash at four Point of Sale (PoS) centres, but the operators had no cash; I had to walk halfway before joining a bus to work because of insufficient cash with me.

“Many of my colleagues who live far away cannot make it to the office, and the burden of attending to these large numbers of patients falls on just a few of us,” she said.

Also, Uche Nwogwu, a trader, said he was apprehensive about restocking his medications, as e-payment channels had failed despite several transaction attempts.

“I was fortunate to get N1,000 from a PoS operator, which I used for transport to the hospital to take my final injection.

“I wanted to take the injection on an empty stomach as the food vendors around the axis didn’t open because they couldn’t stock up on foodstuff.

“The nurse refused to give me the injection on an empty stomach; she insisted that I take water and biscuits. It’s so sad that I have money but can’t access it to take care of myself,” he said.

Similarly, Tunji Akintade, a former chairman, Association of Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, said the naira crisis had almost halted activities across all sectors, just like the COVID-19 lockdown.

Mr Akintade said many hospital owners had been challenged with operating with few staff, increasing overhead costs worsened by prolonged fuel scarcity and the naira crisis that made many patients unable to pay their healthcare bills.

According to him, some patients’ health was deteriorating due to the inability to access prompt medical attention, while some died as they stayed away from the hospital.

He noted that the disruptions, hardship, and mental and physical pain experienced by the citizens showed that Nigeria wasn’t fully prepared for an integrated cashless system.

Mr Akintade appealed to the government to implement the policy humanely, saying no policy should bring suffering, irrespective of how well-intentioned.

On October 26, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) introduced redesigned 200, 500 and 1,000 naira notes into the financial system.

The CBN gave January 31 the deadline for phasing out the old notes.

However, since the notes were unveiled on December 15, Nigerians have struggled to access them from banks and Automated Teller Machines.

This made the CBN extend its deadline to February 10.

A Supreme Court order issued on February 8 restrained the apex bank from going ahead with its policy ending the use of the old notes on February 10.

President Muhammadu Buhari, however, on February 16, extended the acceptance of the old N200 bill as a legal tender for the next 60 days.

He ruled out the extension for the old 500 and 1000 naira notes as legal tender.

(NAN)