COOUTH Strike update: CMD appeals to MDCAN to call off strike

ONITSHA, Anambra, Nigeria – The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojuckwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Amaku, Awka, Anambra state, Dr. Basil Nwankwo has appealed to striking members of Medical and Dental consultants of Nigerian (MDCAN) to call off the ongoing strike embarked since  18 days now, saying that government has met  all their demands.

But, the striking MDCAN members said that they can only call off the strike if their demands are met in concrete term, with clear evidence to prove government and management commitment. Nwankwo   who spoke to our reporter on the ongoing strike action appealed to the consultants to return to duty and join hands with the government and management to provide quality health services to the people of the state, especially this festive period.

According to him, the government has met all the demands of MDCAN and the management was also doing all things possible to make sure that the COUUTH has seamless operations since all things   needed for the effective operations  have been provided by the
government.

“The Government has met all the demands of MDCAN. The better condition of service has been approved and government has also approved their salary packages which are  some of their  major demands. Government has also provided diagnostic and other  equipment  in the institution. I appeal to them to come back and join hands with others to raise the bar of the institution to greater height”he said.

He however disclosed that the government  approval of better welfare package and working condition were predicted on increase revenue generation of the teaching hospital, saying that  staff  need to step up action in the IGR of the institution to meet   up with increasing demands of welfare packages and others .

Dr. Nwachwuku also disclosed that in response to the approval by  the governor to improve the working condition of workers, staff are now on their promotion exercise    adding that before Easter every staff would be appropriately placed. According to him, since the  inception of the  teaching hospital  there has not been any condition of service but today Chief Willie Obiano in his  magnanimity  has approved promotion of all staff in the institution .

“All the staff are on their promotion exercise  and we must thank the governor for that  and this is the first of its kind since the inception of the teaching hospital  about seven years ago“ he stated.

According to him, with the present condition of service in the teaching hospital nobody would like to leave the system again because the government has provided better condition of service and all necessary equipment for the COOUTH  to function  effectively  and generate revenue to the government .

However, MDCAN  said it would  only call off the strike  when it has  concrete evidence that the government has  approved better
condition of services for them. The chairman COOUTH MDCAN ,Dr.Chukwudi Okani who also spoke to our reporter in  Akwa said that they were not interested in calling off the strike until the government meet their demands concretely .

According to him, they have not heard or seen anything positive in the direction of government or the management to call off the ongoing strike. According to him, the MDCAN is  not happy with the CMD  and his style  of management, urging  the governor to call  the CMD to order so as to move the  teaching hospital forwards.

He said the CMD was  running the affairs of the institution with impunity  and does not listen to better logic or reason ,stressing that  under  such circumstance thing cannot work well. He also accused the CMD of lacking in  mismanagerial  skills to move the institution forward, adding  that he   lacks the cognate experience to pilot the affairs of the teaching hospital.