From Kayemo News
Disturbed by the state of affairs in the Ekiti foremost tertiary health institution, the Medical and Dental Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) chapter, had raised the alarm calling for a declaration of state of emergency, to be declared by the state Governor, Mr Abiodun Oyebanji.
This was just as a community newspapers had exclusively reported the alleged unpleasant state of affairs in the university.
According to the newspaper, the situation ranges from low patronage, high mortality rate, lack of modern medical equipment to low morale amongst all categories of workers. It was glaring that the hospital is in dire need of urgent ‘surgical operation’.
The Ekiti based newspaper had further added that “the woes of the hospital was further compounded by the procurement unit of the institution believed to be cesspit of corruption.”
Buttressing this, the MDCAN said that its call was predicated on long standing unresolved challenges which has adversely affected the functioning of EKSUTH, saying that the welfare of the staff of the institution has been left unattended to.
Briefing newsmen in Ado Ekiti, Dr. Adeniran Atiba, the newly elected Chairman Association, said that the hospital is facing challenges in virtually all departments and units which required urgent intervention of the state government.
He said the management of the hospital has not attended to the welfare of the workforce in the areas of salary arrears, years of promotion arrears, months of unremitted association dues, cooperative deductions as well as months of unremitted mortgage bank loan amongst others.
“We are going to send a letter to Mr Governor requesting for courtesy visit to explain some of these issues, though we will not do this until we have met with the management who are our direct bosses to table some of our demands before them.
“The IGR being generated, we don’t know how it is being spent. Some of our people here are suffering and smiling. This is highly emotional. They have refused to pay four months Covid-19 Hazard and inducement allowances. These allowances were designed for health workers during Covid-19 pandemic. We were coming to work and the only thing to compensate us is not paid to us.
“The hospital is not adequate virtually in all the departments and units. I will not be able to disclose some of these today because despite various challenges, we are still able to improvise to give comparable levels of quality services, we won’t want the society to get us wrong and start avoiding the hospital”
“The Mortgage Bank loan being deducted from our salaries for the past 25 months have not been remitted to the bank. The last time they remitted was November 2021. The management claimed that the money was being used to augment salaries because EKSUTH is being under subvented.
“The management still owes close to 10 months of cooperative deductions running into millions of Naira. The wicked attitude of the management has incapacitated our cooperative societies. Members cannot access loan as accepted.”
However, in its own defence, the management of the EKSUTH said the institution is neither static nor comatose as claimed by the newspaper, rather it has overcome most of its previous challenges owing to the timeous intervention of Governor Abiodun Oyebanji
Addressing Journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Friday, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Teaching Hospital, Professor Kayode Olabanji stated that aside from other incentives made available to the hospital, approval was also given for the payment of hazard allowance to all categories workers in the institution.
Olabanji added that the Governor has been also paying contributory pension scheme fund for health workers regularly and has promised to renovate and improve internal structures by giving out fund to the Hospital before the end of 2023, among other.
His words, “This is to tell the general public that EKSUTH is not in a comatose situation as reported by one Newspaper.
“EKSUTH does not experience high rate mortality, we are not static , we are moving forward and getting better.
“The mortality rate in the Hospital is comparable to any similar Hospital in Nigeria. This serious allegation is uncalled for and there is no basis for it.”
On Staff welfare, he noted that promotion arrears of about four years has been conducted while the one for 2023 will be completed before the end of the year.
