By Anne Azuka
Chairman, Board of Management of the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Dr. Mary Alile-Idele, has encouraged all government institutions across the country to emulate the monthly biometric capturing of staff at the centre to detect cases of staff receiving salary after traveling overseas for better welfare packages.
She stated this in Asaba while speaking to newsmen shortly after taking a tour on facilities and operations at the centre weeks after her appointment by President Bola Tinubu.
Dr. Alile-Idele who observed that there was no shortage of medical and health personnel at the Federal Medical Centre Asaba over jakpa syndrome, hinted that there is replacement for noticeable manpower vacuum.
“The jakpa syndrome has not really affected FMC Asaba much. One of the things they have been able to do here as an organisation, is that within a month, they are able to identify if staff have moved out of the system, so that they can be replaced.
“I have seen organisation where people have jakpared two years, and they are still on salary. It’s something that I can not even understand how that is possible.
“But without mentioning names, I have heard some horrible stories of somebody living in England, and still collecting salary in Nigeria for the next two years. Such a thing should not even be encouraged”
“In FMC Asaba, that is even one of the things we looked at, and I was in the administration department, and I saw that they have a system in place that all staff in this organisation do biometrics on a monthly basis.
“So, if you are not available to do your biometrics; oh well, we take it that you have moved out. So, you didn’t do biometrics the first month, second month and third month, and we can’t find you, then why should we pay you. “, Dr Alile-Idele warned.
She restated commitment of the administration of President Bola Tinubu to the actualisation of the renewed hope agenda in all sectors.
She said Federal Medical Centre Asaba was well equipped with state of the art medical facilities and experienced personnel to provide top notch healthcare to residents of the state and neighbouring states.
While commending the Chief Medical Director of the centre, Dr. Victor Osiatuma along with his team for the medical innovations, infrastructural projects, and efficient operational system at the centre, Dr. Alile-Idele called for more funding by the federal government to complete several ongoing projects in the next two years.
She said, ‘we must understand that the renewed hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu cuts across healthcare as well, and like the saying goes, health is wealth.
”I have just been on a tour round some facilities, interacting with some of the staff on ground, looking at the patients care, and I really want to personally applaud the management staff of this centre, doctors, the nurses , up to the junior staff in this place.
“They provide top notch healthcare here. This afternoon, I just visited the neonatal and maternity ward: fantastic . They have the equipment, they have the manpower. My vision and my dream for this centre is to be at the top front of all the medical centres in this country”, she posited.
