Jos – The Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) chapter, has appealed to the hospital management to be sensitive to the plight of patients and workers.
JOHESU Chairman, Mr Mustapha Kabir, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos on Wednesday.
He said that the management of the hospital had continued to ignore their protests and calls for an improved working environment “in the interest of the hospital and patients”.
“We want the Federal Government to immediately remove the CMD, Prof. Edmond Banwat, because he has no plans for the hospital,” he said.
NAN recalls that members of the union embarked on an indefinite strike since March 7, to press for better facilities and improved working conditions.
Kabir alleged that the hospital lacked basic consumables such as drugs, stationeries, laboratory reagents, gloves and bed sheets, MRI and CT scan machines.
He said that the management had also refused to regularise the appointment of casual staff.
“He (CMD) has also refused to implement call duty allowances as directed in the adjusted circular, while those promoted from CONHESS 13-14 have not received their arrears,” he said.
According to him: “It is very pathetic that a teaching hospital like JUTH sends patients to specific private hospitals and laboratories for investigations, due to the lack of reagents and chemicals.”
However, reacting to the development, Banwat said that most of the local complaints of the workers had been sorted out, adding that those beyond JUTH were being handled by the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja.
The CMD explained that there were enough consumables in the hospital and challenged those in doubt to visit the hospital and check the store.
On salary arrears, he said that the payment were being handled centrally by the IPPIS, and wondered why the workers should accuse JUTH of failing to pay. (NAN)