Open Letter to the Acting President Professor Yemi Osinbajo

 

Your Excellency Sir,

 

STAFF VICTIMIZATION, ABUSE OF OFFICE AND GENERAL POOR HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT BY THE CHIEF MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF LAGOS UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL PROFESSOR CHRIS BODE: A RECIPE FOR MAJOR INDUSTRIAL CRISIS IN THE HOSPITAL

 

We, the undersigned are representatives of the various UNIONS and PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS within the lagos university teaching hosptial and we are responsible citizens committed to better healthcare for the good people of Nigeria. We also acknowledge the committment of the present administration to civil liberty, human rights and above all qualitative healthcare in the country. It is in recognition of these core values of this administration that we wish to use this medium to bring to your notice Excellency Sir, the state of affairs within the Lagos University Teaching Hospital in relation to incessant staff victimization, abuse of office and general human resource management

 

That under the administration of Prof chris bode as the chief medical director, the state of facilitites and infrastructure has declined considerably with considerable impact on our ability to discharge quality healthcare. While we understand the impact of the economic downturn on every sector of the economy, we believe that judicious use and smart prioritization of available resources will go a long way in cushioning any effect of the economy of the health sector. We believe that economic downturn notwithstanding, under no circumstances should LUTH be left with only one functional ultrasound machine, have moribund laboratory services, witness incessant out-to-stock status for most consumables, have poor emergency preparedness and recourse employment of unregistered health workers. These and many more issues we have had to contend with since the beginning of the tenure of Prof Chris Bode as CMD of LUTH and we have had to point his attention to same and write several letters to the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders in the health sector to no avail

 

That rather than consider our complaints as constructive inputs of co-stakeholders in LUTH, Prof chris Bode has continued to respond with incessant harassment, victimization, and intimidation of workers including suppression of union activities witholding of staff salary/ emoluments and illegal suspension of staff members. Our resistance to these activities has led to further oppression and a vicious cycle of incessant unrest and crisis within the hosptial

 

That the ministry of labour and productivity has attempted to wade in the crises by inviting all stakeholders including the CMD to a meeting on the 19th April 2017 with a view to stem the situation and avert an industrial crisis in LUTH. While all invited stakeholders honoured the meeting, Prof Chris Bode in his characteristic high handedness and poor criss resolution skills, snubbed the meeting refusing to attend without an apology. This singular act truncated any potential benefit of the parley

 

That despite the ruling of the National Industrial Court declaring Prof Bodes suspension of Dr Olusola Adeyelu as 'unlawful', the CMD has refused to allow the doctor to resume duties by employing other victimization tactics including kangaroo panels

 

That rather than address infrastructural gaps and promote harmony through constructive engagement with co-stakeholders, the CMD further resorted to wastage of tax payers fudns on newspaper advertorials in which he did not only engate in provocatie character assassination of staff but actually made contemptious statements on labour matters before court of competent jurisdiction

 

A series of calculated attempts to evict LUTH-ARD from its secretariat. The first event was the forcible sealing of the secretariat in the early hours of the morning of Tuesday 30th may 2017 without extending so much as a courtesy of allowing the association to clear the place of its property. This was followed by an attempt to re-enter the secretariat by security operatives of the hospital and mercinaries hired from the Alakara police station on wednesday 31st May 2017 to cart away the property of the association. Resolute ARD members resisted this move. However, the situation was to degenerate as the now armed security operatives returned int he moring using brutal force to prevent members from repossessing the sealed secretariat, resulting in injury to members of the association

 

Your excellency sir, we are of the view that these actions and many more of Prof chris Bode are unbecomig of an official of a government office established by law. it is equally important to bring to your notice sir that Prof Chris bode is acutally holding on to the office of the CMD of LUTH in contravention of extant public service rules (chapter 20819) having attained the mandatory retirement age of 60 years

 

PRAYERS

Excellency sir, our singular prayer is for you to use your good office sir to cause an inquiry into our complaints as it bothers on basic infrastructural gaps in LUTH, high handedness in the running of the affairs of LUTH by the CMD, ongoing staff victimization and unioin repression in LUTH and the tenure of the CMD. It is our believe sir that the CMD is no longer capapble of running the hosptial

 

It is not our intention sir for any major industrial crisis to break out in LUTH as this will needlessly hamper the delivery of healthcare services to Nigerians. This is why we are counting on your good office to please intervene

 

Yours in the service of humanity

Signed:

Chairman SSAUTHRIAL

Chairman NANNM

President ARD LUTH

Chairman NUAHP

Chairmna NASU