President, National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan branch, Dr. Luqman Ogunjinmi, has alerted that management of the medical institution was “perpetrating financial mismanagement.”

 

He raised the alarm while featuring on a radio programme in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

 

On the strike embarked on by members of the Association of Resident Doctors in the hospital, he said the industrial action would have been unnecessary had the UCH management led by Chief Medical Director, Prof. Temitope Alonge, been up and doing with financial resources of the number one medical institution in Nigeria.

 

He said the current industrial action that started since first week of June may linger if well-meaning Nigerians do not join medical elders to convince the CMD to do the needful.

 

He said: “We negotiated for over 17 months with UCH’s management. Alonge and others insisted that they were not going to meet us at our points of need despite that we shifted grounds so that we would not look like trouble makers. You know, we are constantly aware that the well-being of our patients should be more important. But when management cannot provide basic amenities for us to function well, what do we do?

 

“Firstly, our members on call duties are molested and robbed constantly and each time we lodge official complaints, all we hear is: We will take stringent measures’.

 

“Of course, nothing tangible is being done. Our female members are the most affected. And the CMD has at least five policemen who go about with him, while our members are exposed to danger within UCH.

 

“Alonge and his people also refused to acknowledge that we have sacrificed so much so that we would not have to go on strike. The other time other workers went on strike, resident doctors did not join in. But when it was resolved and money was allocated, those who went on strike were paid, we were not.

 

 

“This year, the personnel budget for UCH was increased by N1 billion. We asked Alonge what he wished to do with it. He did not give us any answer except to give the excuse that there was shortfall last year.

 

We begged him to employ more House Officers. He refused despite that he had clearance to do it. It was not until April that he employed only 56 to make the total number 105. You know, House Officers have specific duties; 105 is not enough for an hospital as big as UCH.

 

Does it make sense when you allocate a doctor to 42 patients? We asked him to pay us our dues from personnel account. He said it would amount to misappropriation.”

 

Efforts to get Alonge to speak on the matter proved abortive as he was said to be outside the country on official assignment.

 

However, the Corporate Affairs Manager of the hospital, Deji Bobade, while speaking with journalists, said the management is not ready to engage in any media war with the resident doctors.

 

By: KEMI OLAITAN

National Mirror