Members of the Joint Action Committee of Unions (JAC) of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals (OAUTH) Complex in Ile-Ife, Osun state, have urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the ongoing crisis over the appointment of the Chief Medical Director (CMD) for the hospital.
In a statement jointly signed by the local chairman and secretary of the JAC, Abdul-Lateef Adeyeni and S.A. Alagboofe, respectively, on Sunday, it was emphasized that choosing the wrong CMD would cause dissatisfaction among staff and hinder the growth of the hospital.
It should be noted that Dr. Afolabi Muyiwa Owojuyigbe had been appointed Acting CMD of the hospital by the Board of the OAUTH, led by Alhaji Shehu Barau Ningi. The appointment, dated March 5, 2018, from the office of the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, with reference number DHS/873/vol.1/155, was signed by Osarenoma Clement Uwaifo.
However, another letter dated May 30, 2023, from Hassan Sallau, Director HRM, Federal Ministry of Health, addressed to Owojuyigbe, nullified his appointment as well as that of the Director of Administration of the hospital. The letter accused the embittered Acting CMD and the Acting Director of Administration of allegedly disregarding a directive from the Minister regarding the appointments.
According to the letter referenced SMH.557/T3/104, “I am directed to refer to your letter Ref No. DA 44/vol.X/460 dated 28th April 2023, requesting the Ministry to send representatives to participate in the appointment interview for Director of Administration, and similarly, the directive of the Honourable Minister which was conveyed vide letter Ref SMH.557/T3/03 dated 12th May 2023, instructing all appointments in respect of CMD and Director of Administration (DA) be held in the Ministry’s Headquarters, Abuja.
“Regrettably, and in spite of clear-cut caution from both Directors (HS) and (HRM) to comply with the Hon. Minister’s directive, the interview went ahead where both of you actively participated. In view of the foregoing, I am to convey the Honourable Minister’s approval to the effect that those appointments have been nullified.”
Furthermore, the letter assigned to Dr Kamil Ayinde Shoretire, Ag. Director (Inspectorate), Hospital Services Department, and Mr Olumuyiwa Fatorise, Assistant Director (Discipline) HRM, from the Ministry’s headquarters, to act as the CMD and the DA, respectively, for a period of six calendar months, pending the appointment of substantive officers to the vacant positions. All handover and takeover formalities were to be concluded on or before Wednesday, June 6, 2023.
Owojuyigbe’s letter of termination of appointment as the Acting CMD was dated Thursday, June 22, 2023, and signed by Sallau.
The letter referenced SMH557/S.3/IV/125 also announced the appointment of Professor Olayinka Oladiran Adegbehingbe, Consultant Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgeon at OAUTH, with effect from Tuesday, June 20, 2023, as the Acting CMD for a period of six calendar months.
The letter added, “I am further to state that all processes for the fresh appointment of a substantive CMD would be initiated and conducted by the Ministry before the expiration of the six-month period.”
In response to the development, the local JAC, consisting of five unions: Senior Staff Association of University Teaching Hospital Research Institutes and Associated Institution (SAAUTHRIAI), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), Medical & Health Workers Union of Nigeria (NHWUN), and National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), affirmed the appointment of Owojuyigbe.
They warned about the consequences of the termination of the continuous harmonious relationship among all cadres of staff at the hospital. Additionally, they stated that the nomination of an Acting CMD by the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) allegedly contravened Sections 5 (1) & (3) and 17 of the University Teaching Hospitals (Reconstitution Board, Etc) Act, 1985. According to the JAC, “the Law is not only clear but also vehement about the procedure for the appointment of the CMD.”
The joint unions also stated that “we also need to state that the purported nomination of Professor Adegbehingbe as the Ag. CMD of OAUTH can’t foster peace and a harmonious working relationship among different professional groups in the hospital except within the MDCN family.”
They, therefore, urged the President to “use his good offices to avert the impending crisis by allowing the process started by the constituted Board of Management to see the light of the day by forwarding the recommendations of the Board to the Presidency for the final appointment of the substantive CMD.”
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