Delta State governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa through the Board Chairman of
the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Dr Chris Oghenechovwen
has perfected plans to sack striking Medical and Dental Consultants of
Nigeria, MDCAN and resident Doctors of Delta State University Teaching
Hospital DELSUTH, Oghara over alleged endless demands by the striking
doctors.
This follows an order the governor issued through the institution
Board Chairman to the striking Medical and Dental Consultants of
Nigeria, MDCAN to resume duty within 72 hours or risk review of their
engagement in the hospital which elapse last week Friday.
It would be recalled that the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of
Nigeria, DELSUTH branch had embarked on an industrial action to press
home their demands that bothers on inadequate facilities and
consumables to work with in the hospital, the continued drain of the
scares resources of the state to pay 50 million Naira per month to 17
Diaspora health workers, termination Diaspora contract that expires
October and the appointment of a Diaspora Chief Medical Director who
would be paid an upwards of 5 million Naira per month.
Other demands of the Medical consultants according to a press
statement issued include payment of their hospital allowances,
circularization of the entry point of new consultants and
implementation of the skipping for doctors as was done for other
non-doctors in the hospital.
According to MDCAN Chairman, DELSUTH branch, Dr Y.O Obiabo explained
that before they embarked on the industrial action, the Medical
consultants had exhausted all avenues to seek government attention to
address their demands, but all to no avail.
Dr Obiabo stated that it is on record that in the past 5years, the
Association had never embarked on any local industrial action in the
hospital. Stressing that MDCAN had at the commencement of the tenure
of this current government in 2015 presented a letter to Okowa through
the commissioner for health Dr. Nicholas Azinge informing him of
several issues concerning the administration of the hospital, funding
for the hospital and welfare of staff. In the same letter MDCAN
appealed to government to address the issues raised so as to foster
industrial harmony and improve patient medical care in the hospital.
The MDCAN Chairman lamented that rather than addressing the issues
raised, the hospital board and Delta State government had taken
reverse steps that would conduct final burial for the hospital.
He pointed that since the beginning of this year, government has
stopped monthly subvention being sent to the hospital; which has
affected patients in the hospital.
Lamenting the comatose state of the hospital, Dr. Obiabo told newsmen
that simple equipments like BP apparatus are no longer in the hospital
wards, essential drugs and consumable are in short supply; pointing
out that the hospital currently standing with its last leg.
He stated further that Okowa refused to pay salaries of honorary
consultants for over five months, said that they had to embark on
industrial action before three months was paid, that they are still
being owed four months.
He decried that despite the acclaimed limited resources in the State
why Delta State government had not taught of completely terminate the
contract of the Diaspora consultants after the expiration of the
current contract has been since 2008.
Accusing the State ministry of Health, allegedly advocating for the
renewal of Diaspora contracts, advising the State governor to
terminate the contracts that end October and channel such funds to
other areas in the hospital.
According to him, the board Chairman recently announced the
appointment of a Diaspora Chief Medical Director who has no
administrative experience and who would be paid five million naira per
month at a time Okowa said no fund in the State who refused to send
subventions to the hospital.
“The once glorified hospital has degenerated to her present deplorable
state under the watch of the past three Diaspora CMDs who are foreign
consultants, yet the government is still interested in continuing the
failed experiment by appointing Diaspora personnel as CMD in spite of
the fact that these previous CMDs were all sacked for lack of none
performance and abysmal failure. It’s important to inform the public
that despite the huge funding of the hospital under the last so called
Diaspora
CMD, he left the hospital with over 500million naira debt”.
‘Nigerian based Consultants who were engage on a salary step of 7 are
still being paid step 4 despite having an employment letter more than
2 years ago that shows step 7’.
On his own part, the President of the Association of Resident Doctors
DELSUTH Dr. Innocent Okoacha explained that the DELSUTH Board Chairman
has threatened them with sanction if they refused attend to patients
after expiration of the 72 hours ultimatum.
Dr Okoacha reiterated that members of ARD are not on strike; however
as resident doctors in training they are not legally covered to attend
to patients in the absence of their consultants. He said that the
Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria would not allow them see
patients without the supervision or authorization of consultants in
any teaching hospital. He said he was surprise that the Board Chairman
who is a medical doctor, who should be aware of this, was threatening
them with sanctions. He further stated that there are lots of issues
that government should address in DELSUTH.