President of the Association of Resident Doctors at the Keffi Federal Medical Centre, Dr.  David Elukpo has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate financial activities at the facility, accusing the management of gross misappropriation of funds.

 

Dr. Elukpo who alleged that his life as well as that of other members of the exco of the association has been under threat, disclosed to Peoples Daily that ARD has been on strike for the past four months as a result of the unwillingness of the management under Dr. Joshua Gyan to implement directives from the office of the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation on unauthorized skipping of grades by medical staff of the Federal Ministry of Health.

 

In a letter by the ARD Keffi FMC, the resident doctors claimed that they have been on strike since March 06, 2015 on “account of the refusal by the hospital management to implement the directive of the Federal Government on skipping for doctors as captured in its circular Ref. No: HCSF/EPO/63755/TI/195 dated December 2013 and the FMC’s Review of Placement Letters with Ref. No: FMC/ADM/ARD/747/2014/V.1/1 dated 17th February 2014.”

 

 

Dr. Elukpo further explained that even though other categories of staff have been benefiting from the same skipping for over four years, management of the FMC Keffi resorted to selective treatment where only doctors close to director of finance of the facility enjoy the skipping.

 

“That we have noticed with utter dismay, that in the midst of the prevailing circumstances, some top management staff and their ‘boys’, especially in the finance department, have continued to live extravagant and lavish lifestyles” the statement added.

 

While lamenting that healthcare services in the centre have been grounded, which has led to the avoidable loss of lives, the ARD alleged that there has been less than impressive effort by the hospital management to end the strike as they believe they are immune to being probed because of their connections in the ministry.

 

When contacted on the matter, Chief Medical Director of the Keffi FMC, Dr Joshua Gyan confirmed that the doctors are on strike but said it was on a minor issue of skipping.

 

He dismissed the allegation of massive recruitment secretly conducted in the facility as the handiwork of detractors who are envious of achievements being recorded in the hospital.

 

By: Peoples Daily