FMC Umuahia CMD urges JUHESU to review strategies

The Medical Director in-charge of the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, Dr. Abali Chukwu, on Monday, advised the Joint Union of Health (JUHESU) to look at their strategies in order to get their requests from the appropriate authorities.

He was speaking when a team of the members of the union led by its National Vice President of the union, Comrade Ik Nwafor, paid an advocacy visit on him in his office, stating that such advocacy visits are things other unions should emulate as every such opportunity creates better harmony in any system.

The CMD, who noted the theme of the advocacy, urged the union to liaise with the key functionaries of the Ministry of Health to enable them actualise their demands.

He informed that global system of health can be restructured through investment in manpower, machinery, finance, maintenance, monitoring and evaluation among others, pointing out that “if the baby is crying, find out why it is crying’, stating that his the application of the above measures, which he termed 6M, S and P will establish the cause of the cry of the baby and will be treated.

He said that the finance must be adequate to run any institution, especially in the health sector, stating, “The baby is crying and it will still cry until the right thing is done”.

He commended the executives of the Medical and Health Workers Union (MHWU) branch in the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, stating that they have never had any problem.

On the issues raised by the JUHESU team, Dr. Abali informed them that on the issue of outsourcing stating: “That which ought to be done, we will do it”.
On the issue of casualisation, he said the issue has come but that there must be a situation that will not create a vacuum.

He thanked the team for coming to interact with him and on the advocacy with him and his management team for better services and to meet as one family.

He expressed joy that the FMC Umuahia MHWU is always ready and is a partner in progress with the hospital.

Earlier in his speech, National Vice President of the union, Comrade Ik Nwafor, said his team was at the FMC Umuahia to let the CMD know that they are ready to partner with him to uplift the centre, as well as to inform his workers with what happens in the country, especially to live and work with the rules of engagement.

He said the union would not want members get into corruption as was the case in some FMCs, and would not want what happened there to happen elsewhere.

He also highlighted the problems in the health institutions in the country to include non-review of salary structure which is overdue since over five years, and called on conference of CMDs in the country to “chip in few advises to the Minister of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige, in line with the constitution to make all happy.

Also speaking, a national officer of the union and leader of the team, Comrade Enwe, raised the issue of contracting out under PPP as killing health institutions in the country, while the National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Chinedu Nwobodo, raised the issue of disharmony and disparity in health institutions in the country, especially between medical doctors and other workers, informing that their union is not for junior staff only.
They urged leaders in the health institutions to “apply the rule to get maximum output from within.