The doctors treating victims of the suicide bomb explosions in Gombe last week have complained of being overwhelmed with work.

The doctors said the strike by the other health workers has made the treatment of the victims more difficult.

The doctors’ union, NMA, Gombe State Chapter, therefore, called on the Joint Health Sector Union, JOHESU, in the state, to suspend its strike and attend to victims of recent bomb blasts in the state.

The Chairman of NMA in the state, Adamu Danladi, made the call while speaking with journalists in Gombe on Sunday.

He said doctors in the state had been making frantic efforts to attend to victims, but that the work was overwhelming as they were performing the jobs of almost every health worker.

According to him, members of the union have been working overnight, performing surgeries on the victims and other patients at the Specialists Hospital, Gombe.

Mr. Danladi refuted a newspaper report that victims of the blasts were not being treated at the hospital because doctors were on strike.

“All the patients in the hospital now are being attended to by the doctors as all other workers in the health sector are on strike.

“We are not happy for the report which said we are on strike because we are the only health workers that are performing our duties.

“Actually we are overwhelmed and we want everybody to come and assist the victims.

“They (victims) are our brothers and sisters, so we should come and assist,” he said.

Also commenting on the issue, a consultant surgeon, Adesina Opoola, said the victims were received and attended to by all doctors up to 2 p.m., but said they needed more hands as the work was overwhelming.

Gombe metropolis recorded two suicide bomb blasts last week killing some people and injuring dozens of others.

Gombe, located in north-eastern Nigeria has witnessed several Boko Haram attacks in recent times.

(NAN)