NURSES’ BODY ALLEGES SABOTAGE TO HEALTH SECTOR BY UNIDENTIFIED CABALS, FLAYS INCESSANT INDUSTRIAL ACTIONS

The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Asaba Branch, has alleged sabotage in the Health Sector by those they described as “cabals” at the Federal Ministry of Health, including its allies at the Labour and Productivity office of internal payroll and personal information system (IPPIS) who have made themselves into alternative government.

The Association also flayed the incessant industrial actions that have bedevil the sector for over a decade allegedly perpetrated by some individuals who have no business with Health activities, adding that unless steps are taken to bring them to book the Health Sector might be worsened in no distant time.

In a communiqué signed and issued yesterday by one of the leaders of the Association Comrade Edith Okwe, a copy made available to our reporter called on the Federal Government, National Assembly, and Nigerians to prevail on the Federal Ministry of Health and other appropriate authorities from destroying the health sector.

Part of the communiqué reads “We called on the Federal Government and Nigerians to prevail on Federal Ministry of Health and other appropriate authorities from destroying the health sector by using cabals that are not known in the health sector to ensure that Health management is reduced to the lowest ebb” adding that the “cables” decides what government circular to implement, how and when to be implemented including who to benefit from whatever policy implementation.

The Association also alleged that the cables “have been recalcitrant in their dealing as they disobey and disregards court judgment and are ever ready to discard agreements freely entered into by them with the Associations and Unions for personal selfish gains”. But officials of the Federal Ministry of Health who did not want their names in the print described the allegations as untrue, adding “we are not aware of any cabals and we do not know what they meant by cabals, we believe that the Nurses Association is becoming something else and orchestrating different protests to scuttle the good plans for health sector by Federal Government”.

According to the Association’s communiqué after their emergency meeting held in Asaba at the weekend “the activities of these individual and cabals who have vowed that there will never be industrial peace in the Health Sector, have remained one of the major factors that have consistently put the country in an unenviable position in all health indices with the recent ranking of the country 187th out of 191 country evaluated inspite of the huge human and financial resources made available for health care delivery in this country”.

The NANNM however disclosed that it has exhausted all known labour and legal means on the issues in contention including the law courts and judgment given in their favour adding that “the cabals and their allies in both ministries remained recalcitrant to the court ruling, saying that the continuous occupation, for instance of medical directors of FMC Owerri by Dr. Angela Uwakwem with active support of “some cabals” was the Federal Ministry of Health was a confirmation of the level of impunity and executive lawlessness which ought to be the hallmark of administration of the ministry and its parastatals.

Among issues on contention raised by the Association include: non-payment of promotion arrears of over 4 years by most Chief Medical Director (CMD) and Medical Directors (MDS) to their deserving members, failure of all CMDS and MDS to commence the payment of teaching allowance to members and CONHESS 7 and 8, scuttle by FMOH and IPPS office, selective payment of relativity allowance by most hospital management, and non-payment of uniforms allowance by most management.

The NANNM therefore call on the president Muhammadu Buhari to bean his anti-corruption search light on the FMOH and its parastatals with the emphasis on how monies allocated to the Nursing Association were disbursed, a ministry that haboured a fake doctor of over 8 years, who incidentally was a leading figure in the fight against EBOLA and other haemorrihagic fevers calls for a forensic review of their activities.

Among other things NANNM communiqués stated “for a woman at the Owerri FMC that was investigated by EFCC and charged to court on 18 counts charges that bordered on corrupt and financial misappropriation, this is a mockery of a stance of the present administration on its fight against corruption” and called on the Federal Government and National Assembly to call the indicted bodies to order.

But on a telephone reaction, Dr. Angela Uwakwen described the allegation against her as the handiwork of her enemies, adding that the NANNM has no proof to substantiate its allegation.