ARD UNTH suspends strike action, honours the intervention of the Honourable Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole.

 

 

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF EMERGENCY CONGRESS OF ASSOCIATION OF RESIDENT DOCTORS, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA TEACHING HOSPITAL (ARD UNTH), ITUKU OZALLA, ENUGU STATE, WHICH HELD ON SUNDAY, 15th November, 2015 AT THE ARD COMMON ROOM.

 

The Association of Resident Doctors of University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku Ozalla, Enugu State held her Emergency Congress on Sunday, 15th November, 2015, following the intervention of the Honourable Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole.

 

OBSERVATIONS

 

Members observed as follows:

 

1) That the Honourable Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole has in a meeting with the President of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Sir Dr Kayode Obembe and President of National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr Muhammed Askira, expressed his determination to look into and solve the problems of the Nigerian Health Sector with particular interest in UNTH, being the only federal teaching hospital currently experiencing Industrial disharmony.

 

2) That the Honourable Minister in the meeting made a passionate appeal that we restore  services in UNTH while he wades in fully into our demands, assuring that he will do all within his powers to see that our demands are given the necessary and deserved attention.

 

3) That even though the UNTH Management has acknowledged the genuineness of our demands/out cry, the major reason why the strike action has been sustained till now is because we have not seen appreciable intervention in the area of improving services offered and patient care. 

 

RESOLUTIONS

 

1) After painstaking deliberations, members unanimously resolved that in honour of the Honourable Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, and in obedience to the directives of the President of our National body, Dr Muhammad Askira who has also shown enormous support to the struggles of ARD UNTH, members have resolved to suspend the present Industrial action with effect from 8am Monday, 16th November, 2015.

 

2) ARD UNTH succumbed to this intervention from the Honourable Minister of Health as a mark of honour to his new office and hope that the good will so generated by this gesture will culminate in the Honourable Minister seeing to the speedy resolution of our agitations as part of his first assignment in office.

 

3) Members appreciate the efforts of the present Government of 'Change' ably led by President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR in reforming the health sector in Nigeria.

 

4) We appreciate the support and understanding of the general public in course of this strike action. Our efforts are sincerely geared towards rebooting UNTH for the benefit of both patients and staff of the hospital.

Signed

 

 

Dr Ugwuoke Aloy Ifedinso                                             Dr Ndiokwelu Chibuzo

President, ARD UNTH                                                   Secretary General, ARD UNTH

 

 

                                          Dr Chukwuma C. Oraegbunam

                                          Public Relations Officer, ARD UNTH

ARD UNTH drags UNTH Management to Court

                                                                                                                  

PRESS RELEASE; ARD UNTH drags UNTH Management to Court

Following an ill-advised order from UNTH Management threatening to sack/replace house officers who are bonafide members of Association of Resident Doctors, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku Ozall, Enugu State (ARD UNTH) if they fail to resume work by Monday, 2^nd November, 2015 in a notice dated  28^th October, 2015, with REF: UNTH/BM/82/S.2/VOL and signed by Bar S. Ike Nkume on behalf of UNTH Management, the Executives of ARD UNTH in a proactive step to save the members (house officers) the evil claws of the UNTH Management, yesterday dragged the UNTH Management to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria in Suit No: NICN/EN/100/2015 praying amongst many other things for an order of the Court restraining the Director of Administration, Barr S. Ike Nkume and the Chief Medical Director, Dr C. C. Amah and their agents/cronies from victimizing, sacking or replacing any of the Members of ARD UNTH in the course of the present industrial dispute which they caused in its entirety.

It should be noted that soon after the threat was issued on Wednesday, 28^th October, 2015 and announced on Radio Nigeria, Coal City FM at different times, ARD UNTH promptly responded in a letter dated 29^th October, 2015, reminding the Director of Administration (DA) of UNTH that ARD UNTH is in an industrial dispute with UNTH Management and that house officers are fully members of ARD UNTH and have participated in all our struggles. We also made it clear that the membership of house officers in ARD UNTH is protected amongst many other laws by;

1.       Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which has not been contravened by any Law in Nigeria and beyond;

 

2.      A circular from the Federal Ministry of Health dated 4^th July, 2014 with Ref No: C2262T/19 signed on behalf of the Honourable Minister by the Permanent Secretary Mr Linus Awute, conferring freedom on house officers to belong to ARD.

 

and

 

3.      Article 3, Section 1, subsection 1 of the ARD UNTH Constitution.

ARD UNTH was compelled to seek refuge in the Court of Law because of the antecedents of the UNTH Management as presently constituted in priding and indulging in all forms of illegal activities ranging from civil to financial, as such we are fearful that they may refuse to heed to the voice of reason and common sense as contained in our response letter and proceed with their planned illegal action. It is in the interest of the general public and patients of UNTH that we have taken this proactive step to prevent further degeneration and deepening of the present crisis which will definitely culminate in further prolongation of the present strike action, should they be allowed to take the deadly step.  

ARD UNTH also expressed so much disappointment that the DA of UNTH, Bar S. Ike Nkume, who rose through the ranks of Civil Service in the manner he did would allow himself to be used for such a regrettable move. We are appalled that the DA who was supposed to have made moves to settle the dispute, being part of the top management team, have not only withdrawn himself from the peace process, but chose to be used to fuel the crisis.

This whole failed move by the UNTH Management may have succeeded in eroding whatever confidence/trust we may have left in the UNTH Management considering that peace moves have already started before they launched this attack, an insult to our collective sensibility.

We pray the general public to bear with us as we fight for the liberation of our dear hospital, UNTH, in the best interest of the patients of UNTH and also for the welfare and basic rights of the doctors in UNTH.

Thanks.

Signed:

 

Dr Ugwuoke Aloy Ifedinso                                                   

President

 

Dr Ndiokwelu Chibuzo

General Secretary

 

Dr Chukwuma C. Oraegbunam
Public Relations Officer