by crossriverwatch admin
There is palpable tension among the health workers and doctors under the employment of Cross River State Government as indications have emerged that the restructuring in the just concessioned hospitals may soon commence.
Governor Liyel Imoke had recently signed concession agreements with St. Luke Hospital to manage the General Hospital Obudu and Bakor Hospital Limited to manage Bekwara General Hospital.
While Bakor Hospital led by Dr. Sylvester Ebaye has demonstrated a strong presence in both clinical and non clinical services in Cross River State by providing community and rural health with record of facts, the same may not be said of St. Luke Consortium which took over the management of Obudu General Hospital.
Findings by CrossRiverWatch show that both St. Luke and Bakor have perfected plans to commence personnel audit as their first point of management restructuring which according to top management staff of one of the hospitals will lead to mass lay-off.
Governor Liyel Imoke had said the purpose of the concession was to set new standards to deliver qualitative health care delivery to the people rather than leaving the hospitals in their present rotten state without capacity to provide required services.
According to Imoke “In every environment, there will be people that will be opposed to this idea. I have seen a lot of people coming to me not to allow Public Private Partnership(PPP) to take place because they are fears that a lot of people will lose their jobs, not minding whether these hospitals and the people are providing required quality health care services or not.
“The whole idea is for our own collective good and it is novel and will contribute meaningfully to the state health care delivery.
“The concessionaires are not contractors but investors who will provide Social sector health care investment under a special PPP arrangement and they are to run and manage these hospitals for 20 years.”
One of the senior officers of the new management who spoke with CrossRiverWatch in confidence said. “We will engage international best practices in dealing with the issue of workers.
“You should know that first and foremost we are investors who are here to provide services and making good returns from our investment and out of the services we are to render.
“By the time we are done with our management restructuring, those who have something to offer will stay and those who are not qualified and will not add value to what we are doing will have to excuse us.
“This is the internationally accepted best management decision practice all over the world.”
While Bakor is expected to invest N100 million to upgrade facilities at the Bekwara General Hospital, Saint Luke will invest N500 million in the General Hospital, Obudu.
The two projects are supported by the Cross River State PPP Law of 2010.
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