PREAMBLE: Arising from the EGM of the Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Teaching Hospital Ido Ekiti, held at 1pm on the 5th of August, 2015 at NMA House Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State Nigeria.

 

The following observations were made:

1. That the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by the Association has entered its 8th week, having commenced on the 9th of June 2015 after a 3-day warning strike and predated by a 21-day ultimatum issued to the management of the Federal Teaching Hospital Ido Ekiti (FETH Ido Ekiti), headed by the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Dr. Lawrence Majekodunmi AYODELE.

 

The industrial action became necessary due to the insensitivity of the CMD to the plight of Doctors and failure to meet the following outlined demands:

A. Immediate implementation of skipping of CONMESS 2 for Doctors as approved by the Federal Government in a circular dated 19th of December, 2013, Ref. No: HCSF/EPO/EIR/63755/T1/195 and following several appeals was clarified and explained by the Federal Ministry of Health in a circular dated 29th of July, 2015, Ref. No: C.2262/T/111 (the peculiarity of our case was that our CMD stopped the payment of skipping to Doctors in May, 2015 after it has been factored into the basic salary from January – April 2015), while other health workers in the same hospital continue to enjoy it; leading to illegal reduction and withholding of part of the salaries of Doctors since May 2015. 

Various excuses given by the CMD include: ‘I was pressurized by the committee of CMDs/MDs to stop.’ ‘Skipping for Doctors is not in the budget.’ ‘If I continue to pay skipping to Doctors, the hospital’s 2015 budget for personnel will be exhausted in October 2015.’ ‘That the CMDs (15 of them) who are following the Federal Government directives and paying skipping to Doctors head smaller tertiary hospitals in terms of personnel when compared to FETH Ido Ekiti, and so can afford to pay.’

Stakeholders and concerned citizens should be aware that skipping of a grade level for health workers started first in FETH Ido Ekiti in 2011, under the leadership of the former CMD, Dr. Mrs. Ololade Ojo.

Skipping for Doctors in FETH Ido Ekiti was factored, budgeted and appropriated for in 2014 and 2015 personnel costs of the hospital.

 

B. Immediate implementation of the new entry point for House Officers with arrears from January 2015 as approved and clarified by the Federal Government in an explanatory note dated 29th July, 2015, Ref No: C.2262/T/109

 

C. Immediate payment of backlog of updates, revision courses, research grant & examination refunds which are yet to be paid in the last 40 months (the CMD, twice last year in September and December, 2014 promised the Association in the presence of the family and friends of the Association following several appeals to pay these emoluments but up till now nothing has been done).

 

D. Immediate payment of 2014 annual step increment to Doctors and other health workers of the hospital which in most of the health institutions has been paid.

 

E. Immediate payment of promotion arrears to Doctors and health workers of the hospital.

F. Immediate payment of relocation allowances to Doctors since the inception of his CMD’s tenure in office.

G. Immediate payment of salaries of the newly employed Doctors who are on IPPIS payment platform but are yet to be properly captured.

H. Immediate payment of complete salaries to Doctors on IPPIS and GIFMIS platforms who have been shortchanged for some time now.

 

2. Several meetings and fora have been explored to address the lingering crisis and outcomes duly conveyed to the CMD as well as Professional, social stakeholders and opinion leaders.

 

3. It is on record that the Nigerian Medical Association Ekiti State and prominent members of the Association have waded into this avoidable imbroglio, but unfortunately, the CMD has failed to yield to these appeals.

 

4. It is noteworthy that even the recent attempt at clarifying and resolving some of the issues in contention by Permanent Secretary (PS), Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja was brazenly jettisoned by the CMD.

 

5. Other unresolved issues that cannot be overlooked include:

a. Backdating of letters of appointment of employees which has been the practice since the CMD assumed office.

b. Failure to pay relocation allowances to Doctors who were either sent away by the CMD for not passing their postgraduate residency examinations on time or have completed their postgraduate residency training program. This is the height of inhuman treatment being meted to another man by his professional colleague.

c. Astronomical hike in the cost of patients’ care which has drastically reduced the inflow of patients into the hospital and currently threatening to reduce the residency training to a mere theoretical experience. Just recently, the National Postgraduate Medical College withdrew its accreditation from one of the department in the hospital. 

Stakeholders and concerned Citizens should also be aware that no new accreditation has been secured since the inception of this administration; instead, the hospital is losing the ones it has.  

Also recently, the Afe Babalola College of Medicine using the hospital as its teaching hospital has threatened to pull out of the MOU signed with the hospital. Since our boss came on board he has not offered employment to any of the indigenously trained best brains the residency program of the hospital has produced. You should be aware that the teaching hospital used to be the best in both West African and National Postgraduate Medical Colleges, but our COMMAND has withdrawn much of the impetus we thrived on, as well as not creating wherewithal for research and overseas training since he came on board.

d. Failure to pay all Doctors and other health workers of the hospital rural allowances and some health workers their teaching allowances since the beginning of the year 2015.

e. Nonchalance concerning maintenance, replacement and acquisition of relevant medical equipment and consumables necessary for service and training.

f. Payment of irregular, unharmonised emoluments to Doctors across same cadre and aberrant downgrading of newly promoted Doctors

 

In view of the above, the Association hereby resolved as follows:

1. To appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, Commander –in- Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, to as a matter of urgency beam his anti-corruption searchlight on the management of Federal Teaching Hospital Ido Ekiti.

2. To call on the Auditor-General of the Federation, in collaboration with the FMOH to thoroughly look into the financial activities of the hospital.

3. That the PS, FMOH in collaboration with the anti corruption agencies should:

(i) To oversee with eagle’s eyes the immediate implementation and total compliance with the earlier mentioned circulars and the payment of the aforementioned emoluments to Doctors and health workers in FETH Ido Ekiti in order to guarantee industrial harmony and for normalcy to return to the hospital. Enough is enough.

(ii) Direct the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Lawrence Majekodunmi AYODELE and the Head of Accounts, Mr. Roy ALADESAWE to proceed on their compulsory annual leave in order to allow for the resolution 2 above.

(iii) The PS, FMOH in conjunction with the Top Management Committee of the hospital should review downward the current cost of patients’ medical care to humane and community friendly levels. 

4. To reject in totality the recently released aberrant promotion letters of Doctors because the contents therein are alien to the scheme of civil service in Nigeria.

5. To call on the management of FETH Ido Ekiti to publish copies of the 2012-2015 personnel budget and nominal roll from 2012-2015.

6. To call on the management of the hospital to explain to the public why it kept giving out ‘employments’ when the claim is that no adequate personnel budget.

7. To appeal to other stakeholders, opinion leaders, anti-corruption crusaders, Ekiti dignitaries and concerned citizens to help prevail on the CMD of FETH Ido Ekiti to accede to the above demands so that normalcy and industrial harmony can return to the hospital.

Thank you.

 

President Dr. Otutoaja Uzoma

General Secretary Dr. Ekundayo Oladeji

 

Cc:

1. President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria.

2. Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, GCON, Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria.

3. Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki

4. Speaker, House of Representatives, Right Honorable Yakubu Dogara

5. Aare Afe Babalola, Founder, ABUAD.

6. Senator Adeleke Olorunnibe Mamora

7. Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media & Publicity.

8. The Auditor-General of the Federation

9. Dr. Linus Awute, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja.

10. Chairman, Ekiti State Council of Obas

11. SERAP Nigeria.

12. NARD President

13. NMA President

14. Chairman, NMA Ekiti State

15. MDCAN Chairman, FETH Ido Ekiti