Doctors urged FG to institute forensic personnel audit in hospitals

Determined to end strike in health sector, National Association of Residents Doctors, NARD, yesterday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately institute a forensic personnel audit of the federal tertiary hospitals across the country.

Making the call in Lagos, the National President of the association, Dr. Dan-Jumbo Prince said the audit would help in establishing the true personnel spending, thereby plugging all leakages and re-investing for the manpower and infrastructural development of the hospitals.

His words, We are in an era where the mantra is change, the culture of impunity can no longer be tolerated. I am making this clear because on assumption of office, I took about four days to compare the 2014 and 2015 appropriation budget for federal hospitals.

“It was clear that the personnel cost of these institutions was so bogus and highly inflated which was coming from an era of impunity to the era of change.

That is why NARD had made it clear to our members at various institutions to engage constructively with the management to ensure that the issues affecting them are resolved amicably. ”

Prince explained that the call was part of the association’s resolutions at the end of its National Executive Council, NEC, meeting held at the weekend, at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Osun State, with the theme:

‘A Vibrant Residency Training Programme: An Imperative for National Development.
Dan-Jumbo accused some Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) of the federal health institutions of refusing to obey government directive to commence implementation of the adjustment of grade levels of doctors (skipping).

Prince lamented that only 20 out of 54 federal hospitals across Nigeria have presently heeded to the government directive.
He stated that the current pockets of strike in federal and state hospitals were infuriated by the CMDs of the affected hospitals who flouted the federal government order.

According to him, their actions have caused untoward hardships for Nigerians while trying to access affordable health care.

“Our parent body – Nigerian Medical Association had directed that these institutions which claim they don’t have the financial backing to commence payment to open their records for forensic personnel audit.

“During the past administration, NARD wrote to the Ministry of Finance as a matter of urgency to institute a forensic audit, we were rebuffed by the Federal Ministry of Health to go home and face our study.

But we cannot continue an era whereby people that have be given the mandate to manage the institutions then turn around to run them as private business when Nigerians are in dare need of health care.

“As doctors and stakeholders in the sector who are willing to render service, we cannot fold our hands and watch innocent Nigerians die over the greed and selfish interest of management of these institutions. That is why we are calling on our members to engage with these institutions so as to know their true financial strength and not to ask for any bail out,” Dan-Jumbo said.

He commended the CMDs who have complied with the Federal Government directive.
However, the president warned that if the management of the affected hospitals refuse to negotiate with doctors at the hospitals, the strike may continue for as long as their demands would be met.

He stressed that there must be sincerity, trust and communication in every negotiation.

Vanguard