The Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) has allegedly sacked about 25 members of its resident doctors as recently reported.
A
letter with reference number JUTH/S/PER/3014/I/102 signed by the
hospital’s Director of Administration, Mr. N.L. Tangur, on February 17,
2020 says the sack, effective February 29, 2020, was sequel to the
completion of medical residency training by the Doctors.
The
residents, still training to become Consultants, were, according to
their contract letter (JUTH/S/PER/8039/I/1) issued on December 6, 2012,
to be due for termination on completion of the training “which may be
six years or six months after passing Part II examination”.
Such
training, initially approved for six years was reviewed by Parliament in
its Nigerian Medical Residency Act (2017), signed into law on 16th July, 2018.
This
was to enable all trainee Medical Doctors complete their courses which
could take up to 10 years, depending on industrial stability.
JUTH
terminated the contract based on the initial 6-year training period
(December 2012-December 2018), implementing the new training extension
from June 18, 2019 when the Federal Ministry of Health officially sent
letters notifying Federal hospitals of its existence.
The
Interpretation Act of the Federal Republic of Nigeria however states in
Chapter 192, Section 2 that an Act comes into force from the day of its
assent by President or passing by Parliament.
After protests, 23 of the affected Doctors were given additional two months, sources say.
However, all training institutions are currently shut due to the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic.
Observers believe the extension was to have the residents treat covid-19 emerging patients, amid staff and equipment shortages.
The hospital’s Spokesperson, Bridget Omini, however said the sack was “not true”.
“Come to JUTH for details,” she said in a private social media chat, Thursday.
