Patients undergo hardships as FMC workers extend strike, protest against management

Medical patients in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital ‎and its environ, will have to undergo more hardships and probably have their health conditions worsened as medical personnel under the auspices of Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) in the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, extend their 25-day industrial action.

The unions, who were led in a protest on Monday in Abeokuta by Samuel Idowu, chairman, Senior Staff Association of FMC, Abeokuta, accused the management of being insensitive and irresponsible, which accounted for the indefinite strike, saying “‎it is shameful that the government does not wade into the crisis in the institution, 25 days after the strike commenced.”

Armed with placards with inscriptions such as Dr. Sotiloye is too high-handed, he should go; Mr. President, rescue Nigerians from bad management at FMC, Abeokuta; Corruption, FMC Director on two salary scales; No running water, No linen for patients, laboratory, dental, x-ray, consumables not available, among others, alleged that the current medical director, Dapo Sotiloye treated them like second class citizens by giving few medical doctors preferential treatment to the detriment of other health workers.

He said: “In summary, our grudges are: that we cannot take a situation where the management continues to enrich a set of professionals at the expense of our members. We live in an egalitarian society, and so the natural principle of fairness, equity, and justice must prevail and until that happens, we do not see an end to these problems.

“We are seeing a case of gross mismanagement, we are seeing repression and oppression, we are seeing favouritism, we are seeing bad management, and we are seeing corruption in high places and government and its agencies. The EFCC, the ICPC and the Code of Conduct and even the police must step in to arrest this situation.”

In a swift reaction, the medical director of FMC, Abeokuta, Oladapo Sotiloye described the protest and allegations as propaganda, adding that the strike action and the claims by the unions were politically motivated since the strike started in a hurry.

According to him, “and all their demands are being addressed, they said we needed to pay the uniform allowance, because of non-availability, we are paying the instalment and we actually pay instalment. But, it is still a surprise they went on strike that week. We had different meetings with them, which we also involved paramount rulers, because we know the kind of suffering strike brings about.

“Most of their claim that there is no water and so on are just mere propaganda because when we came on board, we bought KVA power for the first time, something that has not happened for the past 25 years. When we came on board, the FMC in Abeokuta has only one KVA but, now we have four, that means the issue of power and water is not true but a mere propaganda.”