The last has not been
heard about the ongoing war raging between the management of Federal
Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu and Members of staff under Joint Health Sector
Unions (JOHESU) of the hospital.
The labour union
leaders have defied the earlier threat of no work no pay directive by the
hospital’s management to the striking workers.
It could be recalled in
a two paragraphed circular made available to journalists on Monday, the
management directed the workers to return to their duty posts or face the risk
of their salary being withheld.
Meanwhile, the
secretary of JOHESU, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu, Comrade Oduburu
Friday flayed the management for trying to use intimidation to force them back
to work.
He maintained that
until their demand is met, they will never be intimidated and they are ready to
die for their course, which he described as a just course.
Comrade Friday who
showed us a bank alert of his recently paid salary, rebuffed the threat as an empty
threat, but cried out on the illegal deduction of his salary and other union
leaders in the hospital by 60%. He further maintained that they remain adamant
and must see to the end of their agitation.
Also in a swift
reaction, another union leader in the hospital, serving as the chairman of
Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, Federal Neuropsychiatric, Enugu
Comrade Eze Mathew, accused the hospital’s Medical Director Dr. Jojo Onwukwe of
gross misconduct and embezzlement of fund.
He described the
condition of the hospital as deplorable and in total shamble while patients are
totally abandoned.
He further called on
him to step down from the post of Medical Director as his tenure long expired
since October 2014 and he is over 60 years.
Comrade Eze described
the refusal of the Medical Director to go on retirement as an impunity of the
highest order and totally illegal, while he called on President Buhari to wade
into their situation to salvage the hospital from further collapse.
All effort to reach the
Medical Director of the hospital Dr. Jojo Onwukwe proved abortive as at the
time filing this report as he was said to be in a crucial meeting.
Further investigation
carried out by us showed that the hospital is now a shadow of itself as there is
no staff to attend to hundreds of patients stranded as a result of the ongoing
strike.
Negotiations are going
on between the state labour leaders and the hospital management, we promise to
keep you updated with more information as they come in.
