The situation is dicey at the Federal Medical Centre , Owerri . Patients are
gasping for breath while health workers protest the plan to privatise the
hospital. OKODILI NDIDI reports
The Federal Medical Centre , Owerri , seems to have become one huge
facility housing disgruntled, workers. Members of various Labour unions
have since laid down their tools and taken up banners of battle against the
hospital management over plans to privatise the facility.
Patients, denied medical care, are suffering . Those in intensive care are
harder hit , their lives on the line as the protest lasts.
The grievance of the health workers is the plan by the management to
privatise critical units of the hospital .
In order to compel the management to rescind its plan, the health workers
resorted to endless protests , which have crippled activities at the Centre .
The workers who ignored the plea of the suffering patients, said the action
was to bring the “anti -people ” plot of the Medical Director, Dr . Angela
Uwakwem and members of the board to the knowledge of the President-
elect and other requisite authorities in the health sector .
They argued that “the decision to outsource or privatise the pharmacy and
laboratory units of the hospital at the tail end of the present
administration is suspicious and not in good fate ”.
The aggrieved unionists, who displayed placards with various inscriptions
like ‘ Don’ t sell FMC to corrupt contractors’ , ‘ PPP is fraud of the highest
order’ , ‘ Hospital drugs not for commercialisation’ , ‘ they want to sell us
and buy us ’ , among others, disclosed that the MD had already leased out
the mortuary , laundry , security and transport units and is plotting to
privatize the entire hospital if nothing is done.
One of the Union leaders, Comrade Nwokedi Samuel , said that every Unit
of the hospital is performing creditably well so the reason cited by the
management for the planned privatization is untrue .
He said , “The issue of selling the pharmacy is already before the Board but
our question is why they are in a hurry to outsource the units now . Our
worry is not all about us but the poor patients who may not be able to
pay for the services thereafter . So we say no to leasing , outsourcing,
privatization or whatever name it is called it is a fraud and we will resist
it ”.
He called on President- elect General Muhammadu Buhari to investigate the
move by the outgoing Medical Director and her team .
Apparently piqued by the stiff resistance to its plan , the management
queried the union leaders who coordinated the protests , apparently to
discourage the struggle but this further incensed the workers, who
perceived the action as the height of intimidation .
Following the development, the determined union leaders completely shut
down activities at the hospital by announcing a- three - day warning strike,
preceded by massive protests that left patients and visitors scampering for
safety.
The protesters who were dressed in black attires , marched round the
premises, displaying placards with inscriptions such as , ‘ We are tired of
intimidation by management ’ , ‘ Withdraw the query given to our leaders’ ,
‘ We say no to PPP’ , ‘ We need our 2013 /2014 promotion arrears ’ and
‘ Buhari , please come to our rescue ’ , among others.
Addressing reporters, one of the union leaders and chairman of the
Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals ( NUAHP ) , Comrade Ezeugwu
Clifford, listed the grievances of the workers to include the non -payment of
the 2013 /2014 promotion arrears , which he said has been released to the
management of the hospital , issuance of query to the Union leaders over
their position on the plan to lease out some units of the hospital by the
Management led by the Medical Director , Dr . Angela Uwakwem.
He also disclosed that as part of measures to press home their demands ,
the workers have embarked on a three -day warning strike , “we are going
to apply the work- to - rule for three days as warning , this means that the
workers will come to work but will not attend to any patient or do any kind
of work.
“We are strongly opposing the plan to privatize the hospital because when
this happens, many patients will die because they can’ t afford the charges
and already as we speak, FMC Owerri is the most expensive government
hospital in the country”.
Another union leader, Comrade Dr. Stanley Emegwara , said , “The summary
of our protest is that the management should pay all the benefits accruing
to the workers and to withdraw all queries issued to our union leaders,
which were meant to weaken the struggle against the plan to privatize the
hospital ”.
Emegwara , who faulted the charge of inefficiency and lack of
accountability by the management as the reason for the planned
privatisation , noted that, “the claim that we are inefficient by the
management is unfounded . Our private investigations showed that FMC
Owerri is one of the best performing government hospitals in Nigeria and
the only three grounds provided for the privatization of government firm
are inefficiency, unaccountability and lack of transparency ”.
It would be recalled that at a time during similar protests , the
management in defiance to the demands of striking workers hired ad hoc
staff to keep the hospital running .
However when contacted who the Medical Director denied any plan by the
management to privatize or outsource the entire hospital .
She insisted that, “what we are doing is a Public Private Partnership ( PPP )
to make our services more efficient. For instance we just built a new
laboratory and we need partners to equip it because we don’ t have the
resources. We are not sacking anybody because we are providing the Staff
and building so they don ’ t need to be afraid”.
She added further that , “the measure we have taken is in the best interest
of the hospital but they are afraid because some of their excesses will be
curtailed . On the issue of their promotion arrears the management is not
withholding the funds as alleged , we are yet to get the money and it is not
peculiar with FMC Owerri ”.
Meanwhile stranded patients have appealed to the warring factions to
shield their swords for humanity sake. According to them the health
conditions have deteriorated since the crisis started .
Mr. Stanford Ikuru , an accident victim, lamented that his wounds have not
been treated in the last one week .
He said , “We are the ones suffering as a result of this crisis . Nobody has
attended to me and several others in the last one week so we are
appealing to the management to resolve whatever crisis they have with
the union and save us from further trouble ”.
Another patient, Mrs . Grace Ilechukwu, described the situation as
traumatizing, “if you go to the wards you cannot stand the odour because
no one is cleaning up the wards. The labs and pharmacies are no more
working the patients now go to the open market to buy their drugs ”.

http://thenationonlineng.net/new/lives-at-risk-as-medical-centre-staff-battle/

In the spirit of pragmatism I wish to remind friends, fans and well-wishers that I would be visiting (Save the Children Home, World bank) an Orphanage home within Owerri on 24th, May. And equally to remind those of us that have pledged support and are willing to touch lives to please try redeem their pledges.

There is enough to go round everyone in the world. Please let us begin to make a difference in our own little way.

Reach Pragmatic on 08131627924
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