No going back until our demands are met, says MDCAN
Maduako Igbokwe l Wednesday, December 18, 2019
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.
