Group petitions FG to justify why it wants FMC Lokoja CMD removed »

Rising from this morning’s protest in Lokoja, the Concerned Kogi Youth Group has said the reason for its demand for removal of the Chief Medica Director of the Federal Medical Centre Lokoja, Dr Olatunde Alabi was for various criminal activities he has allegedly committed.

A copy of the petition made available to journalists and signed by the group, stated that the petition was a final resort having adopted various methods in an attempt to rectify the issues noticed under his leadership.

The group’s petition alleged that the CMD is suspected for issues ranging from gross mismanagement, high handedness, corruption, lopsided appointments skewed against the host community to blatant deprivation of healthcare services to the people of Kogi State.

Citing an alleged instance of corruption, the group said Dr Olatunde Oladeji Alabi was in 2018 suspected to have diverted medical supplies meant for Kogi Free cataract surgeries under the ‘‘President Buhari Restore Visions’’ as part of ‘‘Rapid Result Initiative’’ of the Federal Ministry of Health.

The supplies were said to have been diverted by the MD, Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja to carry out Medical Outreach program in Osin, Kwara State. This corrupt act deprived the hundreds of Kogi residents and indigenes of the well intended intervention from President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration.

It added that “In one of the numerous acts of negligence perpetrated in Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja under the watch of Dr Olatunde Oladeji Alabi, Her Excellency the wife of the Executive Governor of Kogi State conveyed victims of Road traffic accidents she witness on her way to Abuja from Lokoja in November, 2017. To her dismay, these patients were left unattended to by the staff of Accident and Emergency (A&E) unit of the institution despite her persuasive efforts, without any regards for her status as the first lady of the state. No disciplinary measure was put in place to forestall such level of negligence in the institution. I am a living witness to this ugly incident.”

“There are also a lot of outcries by residents of Lokoja and its environs about poor service delivery at the centre. This has led to patient’s mismanagement and sometimes untimely death of patients. The reason for such mismanagement includes Healthcare workers negligence, Lack of basic supplies and essential commodities especially to address emergency situations, infrastructural decay including electricity and water supply.

” and their relations are left at the mercy of private pharmaceutical shops to source for emergency drugs on their own and when this is not possible especially in the night, the results of patient care can only be imagined.

“Management of infectious diseases anywhere have always been caring for the patient to survive the disease while protecting the Healthcare givers adequately. That is why Kogi State ministry of Heath have always collaborated with Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja as the apex health institution in the state by way of providing PPEs and prophylactic drugs to the institution. It is our anticipation that Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja will reciprocate by complementing the efforts of the state government.

“Statistics of Lassa fever management in the state this year showed a total of (110) one hundred and ten suspected cases out of which (32) thirty-two cases were confirmed. Unfortunately we lost (12) twelve of the confirmed cases all of which passed through Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja. The lack of desire and dedication of the management of Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja to put up structure to care for these patients even on temporary bases to complement the State owned withholding/treatment centre where such patient are managed successfully have always been a source of worry and concern for the state government.

“In other related series of complaints of service deprivation during Covid-19 Pandemic in what appeared to have culminated and exceeded the threshold of the locals leading to protest against the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja by unknown group of youths. Following the purported detection of a case of COVID-19 in a patient referred from Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja to National Hospital Abuja, all avenues to emergency Services especially in Accident and Emergency (A&E) were obstructed for almost six weeks.

“The service deprivation also affected care of pregnant women in labour (during which period the MD absconded from duty even when his managerial ability was in question), a pregnant woman delivered outside the labour ward on open ground due to labour ward service deprivation. This particular incident which the institution tried to conceal opened the can of worm that lead to the 1st July, 2020 protest and the consequent closure of the institution. More regrettable, hospital staff were not spared of neglect and service deprivation as death was recorded among the staff of the hospital due to suspicion of covid-19.

“There have been a lot of complaints about skewed appointment of staff into the institution to the disfavour of the state indigenes. Some of the staff that have drawn the attention of the management to such trend have been victimized one way or the other so much that they have decided to keep quiet about it. Recruitment of different cadre of staff into the institution is now on sale in the name of locum appointment for subsequent conversion. This has deprived some of the eligible indigenes from been aware of any vacancy in the institution not to talk of applying for such vacancies.

“Some concerned organisations and fora especially Kogi Elders Forum have written letter of complaints/petitions on different occasions to Kogi state government, Kogi state house of assembly, National Assembly, ICPC etc to the need to address the deplorable state of affairs in FMC, Lokoja, the plight of those seeking healthcare services and kogi state indigenes.

“It is not hidden truth that the current administration in Kogi State placed Health as one of her (5) five thematic areas of priority and has hence impressed the people in the sector. The State has always treated the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja as though a State own institution by supplying medical commodities and drugs to the institution. During the peak of COVID-19 crises the state government had supplied PPEs to this institution twice and build marquee isolation in the institution.

“This we have done in good faith to further reduce the unmet health needs of the people. This petition became an inevitable effort taken by the State government to widen access to healthcare delivery in our match towards Universal Healthcare Coverage where no one is deprived of Healthcare service for ethno-religious reasons as played out in the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja.”

Efforts made by Insidestory to reach the CMD to react to these allegations were unsuccessful as his mobile phones were switched off and many of those inquired from refused to reveal his whereabouts as at the time of going to the press.