BY MAYOWA SAMUEL
Members of the Joint Health Sector Unions, on Monday, shut down the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti.
Patients in the medical facility were left unattended to as the aggrieved workers locked the major entrances, thus preventing all other workers from gaining access to the hospital.
According to JOHESU Chairperson, Omotola Farotimi, the action of the workers was sequel to the alleged failure of the government to attend to their demands.
She said: “It’s a long-time matter which government has failed to resolve over the years.
“It includes nonremittance of our cooperative deductions, special levies, union dues, and implementation of minimum wage.
“We are being owed deductions running 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 the government that every approval for staff of Federal Teaching Hospital by the government would be given to us but we are yet to get a 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.”
Farotimi said the demonstration would continue until government does the needful.
Some relatives of patients who spoke described the development as painful as patients are the ones bearing the brunt.
