NMA calls for LUTH, psychiatric hospital medical directors’ sacking

The Lagos State Chairman, Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Tope Ojo, has called for the removal of the Chief Medical Directors of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi- Araba, Prof. Chris Bode and the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Dr. Raheem Lawal, over allegations of insecurity and poor welfare at the tertiary hospitals.

Ojo, who made this call at a press briefing by members of the association in Lagos on Sunday, accused the medical directors of violating civil service rules on retirement.

According to the doctor, the medical directors have passed the stipulated age of retirement and have refused to relinquish their respective positions, a decision they claimed had led to an indefinite strike by health workers at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric hospital in Yaba.

Ojo said, “We ask that the present medical directors step down immediately to make way for the process of appointing new ones.

“They have both attained the mandatory retirement age of 60 years. It is important that they respect the civil service rule to prevent crisis in these hospitals.

“The ongoing strike by consultants and other health workers at the psychiatric hospital in Yaba is solely to ensure the termination of the tenure of the medical director and to put an end to flagrant disregard for rules at the hospital.”

The association also condemned an attack on one of their colleagues by security operatives at LUTH and alleged that incidents of harassment of health workers had increased under the LUTH CMDs’ leadership.

He said, “There has been a lot of dispute between the LUTH management and its workers but this has escalated since the tenure of the current CMD, Prof. Chris Bode. We witnessed the use of legitimate institution security agents to harass a consultant gynaecologist, his children and pregnant wife within the hospital’s premises at 1am, a case that is currently being investigated by the State Security Services. We call on the Federal Government to institute an inquiry into recent activities at the institution before an avoidable crisis ensues.”