Crisis looms in FCT hospitals as Doctors decry stagnation

Posted by FN Editor | 5 years ago | 1,463 times



If the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, does not act fast, then a major crisis is brewing in the territory’s health sector following an ultimatum by the Association of Resident Doctors, ARD, on their promotion.

The ARD has warned of “looming crisis” across hospitals owned by the Federal Capital Territory Administration over “stagnation of doctors”.

The latest threat to the smooth running of medical facilities is due to doctors being skipped in the latest promotion exercise which saw other categories of health workers promoted.

For the doctors, they were evaluated for promotion and then promoted to the same grade level they had previously skipped to.

“Doctors were promoted to the same grade level they were earlier promoted to thereby resulting in stagnation,” said Dr Roland Aigbovo, president of ARD in the FCT.

“We have made frantic efforts to resolve this imbroglio but it seems FCTA management has reneged on their promise.”

Four groups of health workers, including nurses, midwives and consultants, have jointly written twice to the FCTA to address the “lingering issue of stagnation.” Resident doctors have been negotiating the stagnation of doctors implemented by the skipping policy, including meeting with the former FCT minister Muhammad Bello and permanent secretary Chineyeaka Ohaa.

“The FCT Management promised to rectify the stagnation and promote all affected staffs to the new level but this seems to be a mirage as promotion screening exercise have continued without correction,” said Aigbovo.

He said while FCTA fulfilled some promise to pay arrears accumulated from skipping, its move on promotion has been “all talk and no action.”

The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria was among the groups that wrote to the management since last November.

“We have not gotten any positive response,” said Dr Adetiloye Adeoye, chairman of MDCAN in the FCT.

“We have only been acting to allow peace to reign. What has transpired was a blatant shortchange. When it was time to be promoted, they were promoted to the same skipped level, thereby turning that promotion to a nullity.”

When contacted, the Director of FCT Human Resource Management, Dr. Lazarus Gaza, expressed shock over the development, just as he described the action of the doctors as a move that lacks due process and not in conformity with organised labour. 

Gaza, who told our correspondent that all requests previously made by the association were granted by the former minister for the sake of industrial harmony, and added that the current issue of stagnation was never brought up for dialogue. 

He revealed that medical doctors are the only professional body that enjoy skipping allowance in the FCTA, even as he regretted the recent action of the association.  

According to him, "As a matter of fact, I don't know what they really want. When the former minister was here with us, there is no request or proposal tabled before the administration by the resident doctors that were not granted. They are the only professional body that enjoys skipping and other benefits. 

"But most worrisome is the fact that this particular issue was not brought before us when the minister was around. Why must they wait until he has gone? Is it a deliberate attempt to embarrass the permanent secretary? When the Joint Union Action Congress, JUAC, was having issues with the management, we resolved them through dialogue and not threat". 

He, however, assured that the management is prepared to dialogue with the association and any other group that may have grievances. 

 


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