24th January, 2015
The Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, said it had lost over N100 million revenue to the ongoing Joint Health Sectors Union (JOHESU) nationwide strike.
Dr Yakubu Ahmed, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, who disclosed this in Sokoto on Saturday at a news briefing, urged the union to call off its strike.
The Chief Medical Director said that the hospital also recorded five deaths, since the strike began 73 days ago.
He said, “these were deaths recorded at the hospital from the beginning of the strike 73 days ago.
“Several other people had died in their homes due to the unfortunate strike embarked upon by the union,” he said.
Ahmed said that the strike had taken its toll on the efficient running of the hospital.
He said the Federal Government had mandated the management to use 75 per cent of its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to run the health institution.
The CMD said that activities of the eight schools, being supervised by the hospital, had since been totally paralysed by the strike.
“In the same vein, several other planned areas of medical specialties like kidney transplant, invitro-fertilisation and knee transplant, among others could not operate.
“We had since commenced the payment of the CONHESS 10 skipping as directed by the Federal Ministry of Health, while we have no outstanding entitlements for the 2014 promotions,” he said.
He said that the hospital did not owe any member of the union any entitlement, saying that they should call off the strike.
Ahmed further called on the national body of the union to direct the hospital’s chapter to call off the strike in the interest of the public and on merit.
“The members of the union should remember their oaths that nothing will come between them and the patients,” he said.