50% salary: LAUTECH teaching hospital consultants appeal to Ajimobi

THE Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State, has appealed to the state government to stop the payment of 50 per cent salary to the staff of the hospital without delay.

The association made this known on Tuesday in a press conference addressed by its Chairman, Dr Adewale Adeyemi, at the administration block of the teaching hospital.

According to Adeyemi, the consultants under the umbrella of MDCAN are calling on the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, to rescind his decision of categorisation of the teaching hospital as a tertiary educational institution.

The scenario, Adeyemi revealed, is already counting against the hospital, as it is already losing some of its quality staff.

Adeyemi, who reeled out the achievements of the teaching hospital since it became operational in 2011, however, regretted that workers are being owed arrears of salary despite their commitment to duty.

The association, in a statement jointly signed by its chairman and secretary, Dr Adewale Adeyemi and Dr Afolabi AbdulaKareem Salawu, respectively said: “while every category of workers in all other health institutions in Oyo State were paid 100 per cent of their salaries for January-April 2016, only LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, as a health care institution, was singled out for 50 per cent of salary payment. LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, has erroneously been categorised as a tertiary educational institution and charged with the responsibility to generate the 50 per cent balance of its monthly wage bills.

“LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, for clarity and emphasis, does not own any student, but rather, facilitates training of students of the College of Health Sciences of the university and does not charge or receive any fee from either the students or the university for the services.”

Adeyemi, on behalf of the association then called on the state government “to stop forthwith the payment of 50 per cent to the staff of the hospital and pay without any further delay the arrears of 50 per cent salaries of January -April 2016, as well as 100 per cent of May-November 2016.

Meanwhile, the association used the occasion to appeal to the state government to call on contractors handling some projects in the teaching hospital, but are yet to fully supply some of the equipment the government had paid for five years ago, to do so.

According to MDCAN, some of the equipment included MRI, dental complex, patient’s elevator systems, integrated IT systems, among others.