From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
All is not well at the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital (DUFUTH), in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State as medical and other activities are suffering setbacks following the crisis between the host community and the hospital. The community and workers of the health institution held protest and counter protest in the crisis last week.
The crisis is coming at a time the hospital is conducting interviews for the applicants that applied for jobs. The hospital advertised for 87 vacancies but over 10,000 persons applied for recruitments.
The job interview, which is still ongoing, was supposed to take place at the hospital premises in Uburu but the crisis may have caused the management of the institution to take it to unity square, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital.
Early last week, the host community, staged a protest against the management of the hospital. The protest was led by four traditional rulers in Uburu community: Godwin Akpandu Okoro, Christopher Ngwu Abbah, Eze Umezurike and Lazarus Umahi, Ph.D.
The protesters, who blocked the entrance gate to the hospital for hours, demanded accountability and reform in the hospital. They alleged gross mismanagement, systemic abuse, leadership failures and blatant disregard to the host community against the management of the university and demanded immediate removal of the Chief Medical Director of the health institution, Prof. Agwu Uzoma.
The protesters also demanded cancellation of the ongoing recruitment exercise by the Institution.
“As a people, we are first hand witnesses of the alarming deterioration of the infrastructure and healthcare delivery at the hospital, a hospital primed to deliver the best healthcare in Africa.
“We are angry at the erosion of public trust as patients are constantly being referred to Abakaliki and the calculated destruction of our community’s treasured healthcare institution. As a people, we can no longer remain silent while our people suffer due to the incompetence, negligence, and malicious actions of those entrusted with the care of these great National assets.
“Our grievances are as follows against the CMD and the director of administration: That the leadership of the CMD and the director of administration has led to the complete sabotage of the vision and mission of setting up the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital.
“That the leadership of the hospital led by the CMD and the Director of Administration criminally repurposed facilities at the hospital for some other personal businesses thereby deliberately affecting healthcare services delivery.
“Conversion of key centers, equipped with life-saving technology as living quarters for youth corps members and security operatives, and stripped of its essential equipment.
“Denial of clinical students of David Umahi Federal University of Health Science access for their clinical enrollment and placement at the teaching hospital. Corrupt employment and job racketeering.
“Removal of beds, foams, medications and generators from the teaching hospital and their use at other hospitals.
“The CMD’s deliberate and protracted rift with the Vice Chancellor (VC) of David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences Uburu (DUFUHS) has crippled collaboration and hindered progress even after the community intervention through committee made up of traditional leadership and stakeholders from Ohaozara. The refusal by the teaching hospital under their leadership to cooperate is a clear act of sabotage against the institution.
“Operational and administrative catastrophe where a beautiful edifice handed over to her has been turned to a disgrace, with dirty conveniences, exposed electrical hazards, cracked walls, leaking roofs, and fallen tiles posing a direct threat to patient safety. The proliferation of makeshift shops within the hospital complex reflects a complete lack of order and professionalism.
“Excessive high billing system has been implemented, effectively denying access to healthcare for the most vulnerable members of our community. Bad personnel management at the hospital as staffs no longer come to work.
“The CMD’s repeated disregard for agreement and directives related to the joint MOU between DUFUHS and DUFUTH demonstrates a complete lack of integrity and respect to the Host community and her leadership”, the protesters alleged.
Two days after the protest, workers of the hospital staged their own protest in defence of the chief medical director. They carried placards with various inscriptions and sang solidarity songs round the hospital premises.
When the traditional ruler of Umunaga autonomous community, Lazarus Umahi, got wind of it, he stormed the hospital and issued a stern warning to the workers. He threatened repercussions if the management and staff of the university hold protest outside the hospital premises.
“Let all your protests end within the hospital premises. It will be bloody if I see any staff protesting outside the hospital gate.
“Respect the institution and let your protest remain here,” he warned.
As Lazarus Umahi, who is the elder brother of the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, was addressing the protesting workers inside the hospital, yobs gathered in their numbers at the hospital gate and the overhead bridge in front of the hospital gate waiting for the protesters to come outside the gate.
The situation which caused tension within the university, attracted a team of policemen led by the DPO of Ohaozara local government area, who appealed to the workers not to do the protest and informed them of the presence of angry persons in front of the gate.
But workers of the hospital later moved round the hospital and described the protest against the management of the hospital as baseless and unwarranted.
In a statement signed by the publicity secretary of the institution’s welfare association, Jideofor Ibekwe, during the protest, the workers said the CMD inherited a hospital that was a mere shell of its potential, arguing that with no clinical activities taking place, the hospital was a far cry from the vibrant healthcare institution it is today.
“Under her visionary leadership, the hospital has undergone a transformation of monumental proportions. From a mere handful of staff, the hospital now boasts over 700 regular staff members, supplemented by regular and ad-hoc consultants.
“The hospital’s physical infrastructure has also undergone significant improvements under the CMD’s watch. From a 5-storey building complex where administrative and clinical operations were confined to the ground floor, the hospital now boasts of fully functional departments across all floors. The CMD has also addressed the post-construction defects, including plumbing, sewage, and water reticulation issues that plagued the hospital. The fact that 80% of water outlets were blocked and unusable upon her assumption of office is a stark reminder of the challenges she faced.
“Despite these daunting challenges, the CMD has remained focused on delivering quality healthcare services to the community. The hospital has secured accreditation from reputable clinical professional associations, including the Dental and Medical Council of Nigeria, the Medical Laboratory Council of Nigeria, and the Pharmacy Council.
“The hospital’s clinical operations have also recorded significant milestones under the CMD’s leadership. From January 2023 to December 2024, the hospital successfully handled complex surgeries, including plastic surgery and reconstruction, burr hole surgery, cataract/pterygium surgeries, spinal cord transection surgeries, total hip replacement surgery, knee arthroplasty, Open Reduction and Internal fixation, amputation surgeries, cleft lips and palate surgeries, and many more. These achievements demonstrate the hospital’s growing capacity to provide specialized medical services to the community.
“Furthermore, the CMD has prioritized community outreach and sensitization programmes, organizing several free medical outreaches and sensitization programmes within and outside the hospital, with undiverted focus on Uburu locals.
“These programmes have provided free screening, drugs, and treatments to numerous beneficiaries. The hospital has also undertaken free surgeries for children aged 1-6, alleviating the financial burden on their parents as well as free dialysis for kidney patients which was widely publicized in the media.
“The three page document presented by the organizers is a pre-conceived can of falsehood to cast aspersion on our hardworking CMD who has spent days and nights within the hospital to nurture the institution from cradle since 2022”
“We frown at the allegations of criminal repurposing of facilities, and the ridiculous claims of removal of beds, foams, medications and generators from the teaching hospital, as well as of corruption and abuse of office, leveled against the CMD.
“There is no evidence to support this claim, either in picture, print or video and we challenge the accusers to prove us wrong with counter evidence”, they said
The staff noted that since its inception, the hospital has been guided by regulations, conventions, extant rules and approved laws guiding the conduct of federal teaching hospitals, under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.
They maintained the hospital has also consistently demonstrated readiness for clinical training of the university students with various batches of 300 level students already undergoing or completed training.
“The demonstrators and their lackeys overreached themselves and showed lack of exposure and enlightenment by unilaterally ordering a sitting CMD appointed by the Presidency to immediately vacate her office and evacuate all her belongings from the hospital , without recourse to proper channels of channeling petitions and grievances,” they said
The staff also condemned the blockade mounted by the protesters during their protest on Monday which they said demonstrated an alarming lack of empathy and concern for patients seeking medical attention.
“The blockade not only disrupted essential healthcare services but also prevented patients with emergency cases from accessing the hospital.
“Furthermore, relatives of patients who went out to source for personal effects were also denied access back into the hospital upon their return, without regard to the care and support to their loved ones,” they alleged.
The staff expressed deep concern at the protesters’ demand to cancel the ongoing recruitment exercise at the institution, particularly as the local community stands to benefit significantly from the employment.
They noted that the hospital is in dire need of additional staff to bolster its workforce, and cancelling the recruitment exercise would only exacerbate the existing staffing shortages.
The staff strongly opposed the calls for the removal of the CMD, stating that the allegations against her are unsubstantiated and lack merit.
“We also believe that no outsider can handle or protect DUFUTH like a daughter of Uburu land, who is a key stakeholder in the project and also an accomplished medical professional of note.
They commended the CMD and hospital leadership for prioritization of the community’s healthcare needs through various outreach programmes, free medical care, free surgeries, screening and drugs to locals as well as the fiscal discipline in the hospital’s finances and operations.
“The entire staff of DUFUTH in one voice, maintains a strong vote of confidence on our Chief Medical Director, Professor Uzoma Agwu, a woman of proven track records in hospital management, integrity and genuine commitment to public service”, they added.
David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (DUFUTH), initially planned as a College of Health Sciences and Teaching Hospital for Ebonyi State University, was established on July 2022 as the 197th university in Nigeria to end medical tourism.
This was in fulfilment of the then governor’s promise to build a new College of Health Sciences and Teaching Hospital for the State University.
However, the world class health institution was taken over by the federal government.