The Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals, NUAHP, an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress at the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, has directed its members to begin an indefinite strike from Wednesday, September 16, over its demand for the reinstatement of the hospital’s Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Adeyinka Ishola.
The union is demanding the implementation of the recommendations of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, which, found the Director not guilty of any fraudulent act in connection with the sale of a tricycle donated to the Pharmacy Department.
The Chairman of NUAHP, Oladayo Olabampe, said 13 out of 15 professional health unions have joined the industrial action, which he said had become necessary after several efforts by the union to secure Ishola’s reinstatement failed.
Olabampe said the report submitted by the union’s representative, who served as an observer during the initial investigation, indicated that the investigative panel appeared to have reached a conclusion about Ishola’s fate before hearing his defence.
He said that after several sittings, the panel recommended that Ishola be suspended in the interest of the public, with its recommendation forwarded to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for ratification and approval.
According to the NUAHP Chairman, the Ministry subsequently sent a team of investigators to UCH to conduct an independent investigation, and the panel found Dr. Ishola not guilty of any fraudulent act, but only guilty of not carrying the management along in the sale of the tricycle.
The union notes that rather than approving the dismissal recommended by UCH, the Ministry, after a thorough investigation, recommended that the Director be reprimanded and then reinstated.
It union said it is however, surprised that the UCH management is not pleased with the outcome and has, for months, refused to implement the verdict of its supervisory Ministry.
The embattled Director was said to have told the investigative panel set up by the hospital management that the tricycle was a personal gift to him from a pharmaceutical company seeking to secure favourable patronage.
He reportedly challenged the panel to seek clarification from the donor company regarding the circumstances surrounding the gift.
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(Editor: Ken Eseni)
