UCTH: Doctors May Confront CMD Over Sack Letters

While the Presidential directive to suspend the Residency Programme for medical doctors in Nigeria may have been rescinded after the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, called off its prolonged strike action, it is emerging that a crisis may be brewing in the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH, over the hospital’s management handling of the sack letters issued resident doctors in the institution.

Specifically, the Chief Medical Director of UCTH, Thomas U. Agan, a medical doctor, is thought to have concentrated more than enough energy in carrying out the directive, deploying the sack letters to all the resident doctors in the hospital by courier. Most members of the NMA and the Association of Resident Doctors, ARD, are feeling let down by one of their own, “who has shown no restraint in not just carrying out a draconion directive but also deploying funds to push through this order when he cannot bring out funds to improve common lighting in the UCTH”, as one doctor put it. The issue of several dark sections of the hospital, www.calitown.com hear has been responsible for a recurring spate of criminal activities carried out by yet to be apprehended individuals in the hospital.

The sack letter with reference number, UCTH/P/—- of 15th August, 2014, and signed by Agan, read in part that, “In compliance with this order (Presidential directive) I am to regrettably inform you that your appointment in this hospital is hereby terminated forthwith”. Where the grouse may have arisen and what is a position members of the ARD are tilting to is that “while letters were served sacking us, text messages were sent asking us to resume work. Since we were served sack letters as Agan was directed, and he despatched the letters by courier, shouldn’t he also serve us letters annulling the sack letters?”. It is a situation that management refused to talk to www.calitown.com about when enquiries were made in the hospital. For now, far more pressing issues are thought to be confronting the CMD after he was spotted arriving Calabar on an Arik Air flight from Abuja, early Saturday morning, August 30th, 2014.