By CHARLES IWUOHA

Members of staff of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu State, have disowned a recent protest staged at the hospital’s gate.

News Express had earlier reported that the protest was organised by a coalition of civil society organisations.

Addressing journalists on Tuesday, the workers’ unions in the hospitals said no member of staff took part in the said protest.

They include the Joint Health Sector Union, JOHESU, National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, NANNM, Association of Resident Doctors, ARD, and Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, MDCAN.

Dr. Jane Nnabuchi of MDCAN, Dr Mbachu Ferguson of ARD, and Comrade Obinna Eze of JOHESU addressed the media on the issue.

The workers said touts were rather recruited by some persons to destabilise the hospital.

In a joint press statement issued by the workers, they debunked what they called “the stage-managed protest by a group of HIRED THUGS that called themselves Civil Society Organisation (CSO) alleging that there is no peace in the Hospital and that the workers are unhappy alongside other allegations levelled against the Medical Director, Prof. Monday Igwe.

“We hereby state categorically that the piece of information is not only false, but was made to mislead the general public and to cause confusion.”

The workers declared that: “there is no crisis in our Hospital, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu.

“That our Hospital is peaceful and workers are happy with the administration of the Medical Director, Prof. Monday Igwe.

“That the stage-managed protest on 30th August, 2023 was done by thugs hired to discredit and destabilise the Medical Director and our hospital’s activity.

“We want to challenge anybody on that protest video circulating around to provide any proof of identity as Staff of Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu or Student of the School of Post Basic Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing of our Hospital.

“Ordinarily, we would have ignored the publication and the perpetrators of this dastardly and worthless act, but we are issuing a rejoinder to stop them from misleading the general public and most importantly, to put the information in the proper perspective.”

While making reference to a recent incident in the hospital, they called for an end to further harassment of the Medical Director.

“The situation created a scene and disrupted the activities of the hospital community and would have escalated to an uglier scenario if not for the intervention of Enugu State Police Command.

“The members of Staff have been enjoying peace, infrastructural and human capacity development since the inception of Prof Monday Igwe’s leadership in 2019.

“We, the members of Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), and Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, therefore, distance ourselves from and condemn that stage-managed protest of 30th August 2023 as well as the attempted abduction “arrest” of our Medical Director on Thursday, 14th September, 2023,” the workers further stated.

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