Health Workers Protest, Shutdown EKSUTH

 

Ayu Esuku

Medical workers of the  Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Ado Ekiti, on Monday locked up the health institution while protesting over alleged unpaid emoluments  by the management.

The staff, under the auspices of the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), had converged  at the main gate of the tertiary health facility located at Adebayo area and sealed off the  hospital.

For over four hours, spanning 8am and 12 noon, no worker, including members of the management and doctors, were given free entry and exit throughout the time the warning protest lasted.

The aggreived workers locked the major entrances to the hospital, thus preventing all other workers from gaining access to the hospital.

The action of the workers is sequel to the alleged failure of government to attend to their demands as confirmed by JOHESU Chairperson, Comrade Omotola Farotimi.

She said:It’s a long time matter which government has failed to resolve over the years.

“It includes non remittance of our coperative deductions, special levies, union dues and implementation of minimum wage.

“We are being owed  deductions runing to two years and we are getting tired.

“This development has left to brain drain, as many of our best hands have left for greener pastures.

“We signed an MOU with government that every approval for staff of Federal Teaching Hospital by government would be given to us but we are yet to get minimum wage which has been approved since 2019.

“The last board approved it but the management failed to pay.

“It is disheartening that despite our sacrifices we have been treated so badly by successive governments.

Mrs Farotimi said the demonstration would continue until government do the needful.

Some relatives of patients who spoke described the development as painful as patients were the ones bearing the brunt.