RAYMOND OZOJI reports
As the Association of Resident Doctors Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH) Amaku Awka express profound gratitude and appreciation to Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo for the payment of Medical Residency Training Fund and shortfalls arising from implementation of the new CONMESS coupled with the approval and payment of specialist allowance to eligible doctors including medical officers and all registrars, further investigations revealed that workers at COOUTH do not have retirement benefits in spite of being a state-owned institution.
Inside sources at COOUTH noted that it is a painful reality that there is no retirement plan for people working at the state teaching hospital Amaku Awka and government, according to sources, seemed not to be making meaningful efforts to incorporate the institution into the Anambra State Civil Service to enable workers reap the fruits of their many years of active service upon retirement.
Apart from the lack of retirement plan for COOUTH workers, further findings revealed that uniform allowance have not been paid to nurses by the management of COOUTH since 2024.
Promotion is said to be another problematic issue at the state teaching hospital as sources revealed that the last promotion done in the hospital was in 2022 as workers are stagnated and long overdue for promotions.
This journalist gathered that internship is another problem at the state teaching hospital requiring urgent attention as inside sources further disclosed that COOUTH has not gotten approval from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria to commence internship as intern nurses are working on humanitarian basis which isn't a standard practice as well as unacceptable to the council.
This journalist equally found out that COOUTH workers can not apply for or access the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria Home Renovation Loan because COOUTH as an institution is not registered with the FMBN thereby depriving workers the opportunity to apply and access the loan.
When contacted for her response through SMS and Whatsapp messages on the lack of retirement benefits for COOUTH workers and other issues affecting their welfare, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH) Amaku Awka, Dr. Maureen Umeakuewulu, told this journalist that she has no updates yet on the issues raised by the workers.
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