Specialist Hospital, FMC sacks 4 workers over job racketeering

The Management of the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia has sacked two of its staff, Yusuf Idris and Musa Dogara over their alleged involvement in employment racketeering.

The Public Relations Officer of the Hospital, Ruth Namo, made the disclosure while speaking with our correspondent in Lafia yesterday, reports The PUNCH.

The PRO cautioned members of the public not to transact any business with the sacked staff as they have been unceremomiously dismissed from the hospital’s services.

According to her, the duo were found culpable of several financial misconducts in the guise of securing appointments for unsuspecting members of the public seeking job in the medical facility.

“The duo had at several times in the past been warned to desist from such unlawful act, but they remained adamant, leading to the action of the management.

“The management of the hospital reached a conclusion after completing all of the necessary disciplinary procedures because the hospital under Dr Hassan Nkrama as Chief Medical Director has zero tolerance for corruption.

“So, those working in the hospital who are in the habit of defrauding the members of the public should desist or be ready to face the law if caught,” she added.

Therefore, the PRO assured the public that the hospital remains committed to delivering quality healthcare services to its patients and the entire residents of the state.

In the same vain, the Federal Medical Centre in the Keffi Local Government Area of the state has sacked two of its staff and suspended some others over allegations of job racketeering at the health facility.

The Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr. Yahaya Adamu confirmed the development in an interview with our correspondent yesterday.

Following the allegations of job racketeering by some media outlets sometime in 2023, the management of the institution constituted a committee to investigate the allegations in line with the civil service rules.

According to Adamu, upon the discovery of the allegation, a committee was set up to carry out an investigation and those found to be culpable were presented to the institution’s Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee headed by himself.

He added that the committee had statutory members with a representative of the Minister of Health also as a member and health unions as observers.

He said, “It was an open door investigation. When we finished, we forwarded our recommendations to the honourable minister because there was no board.

“The recommendations were modified and a final position was taken over all those accused of job racketeering and many other staff accused of other offences.

“Only one person out of the group accused was found not guilty. We had about eight or nine staff that were involved and all of them were so tried and there were different levels of allegations in millions of naira.

“So there was nobody who was guilty that was not punished and those who were suspected to be guilty, but for one reason or the other their cases have not been concluded. They were told to remain out till we reach a final conclusion on their cases.”

The CMD explained further that out of the two disengaged, one is the alleged ringleader of the racketeering group who is still at large and who has been dismissed from service in absentia while the other is a nurse whose appointment was also terminated.

Thus, Adamu assured that the racketeering incident would not repeat itself again given the checks and balances put in place by management of the medical centre to checkmate such.

“The management of the medical centre are putting up measures to improve services at the institution such as alternative power supply, specifically solar power and purchase and repair of laboratory machines to meet the needs of all our patients,” he stressed.