Authorities of UNTH appeals to striking doctors on HWN STRIKE UPDATE

The authorities of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku/Ozalla, Enugu have appealed to their striking doctors to return to work.

The management said such was necessary in the interest of Nigerians dying daily owing to the absense of the doctors from their duty posts.

This is also as the management disclosed at the weekend that over N120 million previously spent on outsourced services handled by contractors per annum had been saved following the decision to handle the services internally.

These services were reviewed by the Dr Christopher Amah-led administration with effect from July this year.

Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Amah told reporters in Enugu that the review followed the expiration of the five-year contracts in the area of laundry, cleaning and security services in the hospital.

He added that the review had also infused competition and efficiency in the system as more than one contractor now handle these services within the hospital.

Giving a breakdown of the figures, he stated that cleaning services that was contracted out for over N6 million yearly had been reviewed to about N3 million with two contractors engaged for the service, while laundry services had also been reviewed downwards from over N6 million to about N1.5 million.

Amah said the hospital was paying over N8 million naira for security services at the old and permanent sites of the hospital contracted to one security firm, but has now added one more security Firm who are now paid a little above N6 million naira.

He disclosed that cutting of grass within the hospital premises that was going for about N12 million has been reviewed downward to about N3 million following the donation of weed slashers by a friend of the hospital.

“It is something to be happy about because it will help us develop the hospital further. Some of these services were contracted out for upto five years before we came on board. We waited for the contracts to elapse to be able to look at them again and we are happy to report that the hospital has made some great saves. Each month we are making about N10 million from these services against what we were paying previously”, Amah stated.

The Chief Medical Director said the period of the contracts had also been reduced from five to two years, saying it was a way to monitor performance.

He said his desire was to make the hospital one of the reference centres in the country, regretting however that incessant strikes by resident doctors had affected the activities of the hospital.

He announced that the perennial problem of water scarcity at the permanent site of the hospital had been laid to rest with the success sinking of some motorised boreholes through a modern technology.

Amah added that despite scarcity of funds the management is currently rehabilitating Ward 9 to upgrade it to international status like the National Centre for Cardiothorocic (heart) surgery which has successfully perforned over 90 patients.

He said that the hospital facilities had been seriously given facelift for improved service delivery adding that the Amenity Ward could be compared with any standard hospital overseas.

The Chief Medical Director, however, appealed to those instigating unnecessary doctor’s strikes to rethink, stating that his administration had consistent ensured transparency and accountability in all her services.

Source: Dailypost, HWN Africa.