We've not sacked 91 casual workers - Management of Yendi Regional Hospital

The Medical Superintendent of the Yendi District Hospital, Dr Ayuba Seidu Abdulai has strongly debunked assertions from the media that purported that, 91 casual workers of the hospital were sacked by management of the hospital.

The Daily Graphic reported that, the Tamale High Court has placed an interim injunction on a decision by the management of the Yendi Regional Hospital to dismiss 91 workers from the hospital for the hospital’s alleged lack of funds.

The motion was filed by the Northern Regional Directorate of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) on behalf of the aggrieved workers who are said not to have received their salaries from the hospital since April this year.

The Northern Regional Director of CHRAJ, Mr Stephen Azantilow, said the court made the declaration last Monday.

According to him, his outfit received complaints from the workers that comprised pharmacists, laboratory technicians, orderlies, labourers and mortuary attendants on June 1, 2018 to the effect that they had not been paid their salaries for the last four months, neither had their Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) contributions nor Second Tier pension contributions been paid since June 2018.

Prior to seeking the intervention of CHRAJ, the workers claimed to have also complained to management over their grievances but they were not addressed.

Mr Azantilow said while conducting investigations into the case, he realised that the management of the hospital was actually in the process of making new recruitments to replace the affected workers.

But the Yendi District Hospital Medical Superintendent described the allegations against the management of the hospital as falsehood and distraction to quality delivery of healthcare services to the people in the Yendi municipality, stating categorically that, there is no iota of truth in the matter.

According to him, they (Hospital) had communicated earlier to these casual workers that their contract with the hospital was to end on the 31st of July, 2018 and anyone who was still interested was expected to apply for selection of interview and engagement.

He explained that opinion leaders in the area pleaded with the Hospital to extend the deadline of submission of applications to enable more people to apply. He said, management of the hospital heeded to the calls made by the opinion leaders thus an extension was made but a section of the casual workers applied whiles others refused to apply with the notion that they are permanent workers and need not to re-apply for the job.

“It is not true that we have sacked anybody. Yes, we had plans already done in terms of the interview process engaging those who applied and there was a communication that all casual workers’ contract is to be ended by 31st July, and anybody who so wants to continue working with the hospital should apply for selection interview and engagement. Opinion leaders engaged us and other stuff and there was a plea that we should extend the deadline so that people can apply for those who did not get the opportunity, for which we did. Now, a section of them applied and a section did not apply because they had decided that they will challenge management on this issue because they think that they are permanent workers and for that matter we cannot ask them that their contract has expired and they should re-apply” He said in an interview with savannanews24.com

Dr. Ayuba Seidu Abdulai said, the interview was carried out for those who applied and ended on the 18th of July, 2018.

He stated that on Friday, 29th July they were served with a notice of hearing and a notice on the motion to be open on the 28th of August. But currently the orders does not bind them from going on with other activities as such regular visitation to departments.

‘On Tuesday, 31st at 4:55 pm we were served with an injunction letter. The order of the injunction is that we should not go ahead advertising, recruiting and replacing the complainants. By law or by understanding, we are not doing any advertisement anymore, we have already finished all the processes” he explained.

The Yendi District Hospital Medical Superintendent hinted that, there has been several calculated efforts by this section of casuals against management to distract service delivery since last week even before the court injunction, stating that they (casuals) were threatening to shut down the hospital from the 31st to 1st to prove that without them the hospital cannot function.

He stated emphatically that management was putting measures in place to ensure that the hospital served its purpose of service delivery to the people of Yendi and its environs and to be enviable in the country as a district hospital performing to save people.