FG Shuts Down FMC Owerri over Workers’ Indiscipline

After several attempts to reconcile warring parties over disagreement with authorities, federal government on Wednesday shut down the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Imo State, over workers indiscipline and rounds of protests from union members who have insisted that the medical director, Dr. Angela Uwakwem, must be removed for allegations levelled against her.

The government also set to do a staff audit of 2,500 employees of the centre so as to ensure proper restoration of services that have been disrupted.

Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewale, speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, he said the federal government is fully in support of Public Private Partnership especially in the health sector, bearing in mind that the government can no longer fund health alone, which was the bone of contention.
According to the minister, “the proposal was vehemently opposed by people who may have been benefitting from the system and went on to incite the unions.”

Adewole stated that this action as well as the recall of the medical director sparked off another round of protests from the unions who insisted she must go, hinging their demand on a minority report submitted by the union members of the committee which had earlier indicted her.

“I wish to state that the federal ministry of health is left with no other option than to temporarily shut down the federal medical centre, Owerri to allow government to reorganise, restrategise and redefine the rules of engagement.

“An interim administration will be put in place to oversee the affairs of the institution and do a staff audit to ensure proper restoration of services.”

“The Federal Medical Centre, Owerri must work to deliver healthcare services to the Nigerian people because that is the mandate for which the federal government is maintaining over 2,500 people employed in this centre with the available meagre resources inclusive of tax payers’ money.”

The shut down came on the heels of the fact-finding committee that investigated the allegations against the medical director had since submitted its report and had exonerated her of the allegations and the contents of the report was brought to the public domain.