The three major unions that comprise over 95 per cent of the workforce at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri, Imo State have embarked on indefinite strike action until their appeal to the federal government through the Federal Ministry of Health to sack the Medical Director of the institution, Dr. Angela Uwakwem was met.
They levelled various allegations of poor financial management,
high-handedness and abuse of office through non application of due
process in the system.
Addressing the media during a protest march carried out yesterday at
the institution's premises which caused major traffic snarl along Orlu
road; Chairman of Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP),
Comrade Clifford Ezeugwu alongside the National Association of Nigerian
Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) and Medical and Health Workers Union of
Nigeria (MHWUN)
accused the medical director of involvement in many financial scandals leading to poor staff welfare and treatment.
According to the unions, the medical director had on several occasions
allegedly misappropriated funds through virement of money meant for
personnel cost to capital expenditure against the financial regulations
and extant laws, thereby defrauding the federal government and staff of
the institution.
They maintained that staff promoted in 2013 and 2014 were being owed
but instead of using the excess funds for those years to offset the
personnel cost, she resorted to divert same to capital expenditure as
opposed to due process.
"She inflated the figures (cost) of purchase of CT Scan machine, pays
herself overtime to the tune of several hundreds of thousands of Naira
monthly since her inception as medical director, which is against public
service rules for someone on her salary grade level 17 (Top Sal), and
she is also involved in employment racketeering to that extent of
back-dating
appointment/employment letter in order to cover up", they alleged.
On issue of high-handedness, the unions accused the medical director of
not only giving queries to union officials for responding to her
allegations against staff but stops staff salaries at her whims and
caprices, since nobody dared challenge her.
The protesting staff numbering over 1000 in their all black attire
however urged the federal government to immediately set up an
investigation panel to probe their allegation while the medical director
steps aside as the investigation goes on, adding that if nothing was
done they would remain on strike.
"We therefore call on the federal government to intervene urgently in
order to restore peace, sanity and normalcy so that Imolites will stop
suffering untold hardship from accessing quality medical services in the
state”, they charged.
Efforts made to reach the medical director or the public relations unit of the institutions proved abortive as she could not answer her calls. Also when THISDAY visited her office, her secretary said she was not in the office.
Efforts made to reach the medical director or the public relations unit of the institutions proved abortive as she could not answer her calls. Also when THISDAY visited her office, her secretary said she was not in the office.
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