FMC Owerri Workers Begin Warning Strike Over Plans To Privatise Hospital

Staff of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri, on Tuesday embarked
on a three-day warning strike to protest plans to privatise some of
the hospital units.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the workers had earlier
protested plans to privatise the Pharmacy and Laboratory Units of the
hospital by the present administration, led by Dr Angela Uwakwe.

The Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals
(NUAHP), Mr Ezeugwu Clifford, disclosed this to newsmen during a
protest march by members of the Union.

He said the strike was a away to express their grievances to the
management of the hospital.

Ezeugwu listed the grievances of the workers to include the
non-payment of the 2013/2014 promotion arrears, alleging that the
funds had since been released to the hospital management.

He added that the union was also protesting the queries issued to the
union leaders over their opposition to the plan to lease out some
units of the hospital by the management.

``We are strongly opposing the plan to privatise the hospital because
when this happens, many patients will die because they can't afford
the charges.

``Already as we speak, FMC Owerri is the most expensive government
hospital in the country,'' he said.

He, however, said that the workers would still report at work but
would not carry out any of their duties for the duration of the
strike.

``We are going to apply the work-to-rule for three days as warning;
this means that the workers will come to work but will not attend to
any patient or do any kind of work,'' he said.

Another union leader, Dr Stanley Emegwara, said the queries issued
were meant to weaken the unions' struggle against the plan to
privatise the hospital.

Emegwara, who faulted the claims of inefficiency and lack of
accountability by the management as the reason for the planned
privatisation, described it as ``unfounded''.

``The only three grounds provided for the privatisation of government
firm are inefficiency, unaccountability and lack of transparency,''
Emegwara said.

``Our private investigations showed that the FMC is one of the best
performing government hospitals in Nigeria so the claim that we are
inefficient by the management is unfounded.''

NAN reports that the Managing Director, Dr Angela Uwakwe, had earlier
said that the hospital was entering into a Public Private Partnership
to make their services more efficient.

She added that the hospital had just built a new laboratory and needed
partners to equip it because the hospital had no resources to equip
it.

The protesting workers, dressed in black attire, marched round the
premises, displaying placards conveying their dissatisfaction.
--NAN