UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital Workers Threaten Indefinite Strike Over Proposed Privatization Plan

Workers at the Osun State University Teaching Hospital (UNIOSUNTH), Osogbo, have threatened to shut down the facility from Monday over plans by the hospital management to introduce a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement for several medical and support services.

The warning came after members of the Joint Action Committee of unions at the teaching hospital staged a peaceful protest on Thursday, rejecting what they described as an attempt to privatise key services without adequate consultation with workers.

The unions are particularly opposed to the proposed PPP arrangement covering the laboratory, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), radiology, kitchen, morgue and security departments.

They said management had been given a 14-day ultimatum to address their concerns, adding that the deadline would expire at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday. If their demands are not met, the workers said they would commence an indefinite strike on Monday.

Speaking during the protest, Olumide Faniran, a union elder and member of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), said the workers were not against improving healthcare delivery but were concerned about the manner in which the PPP proposal was being handled.

According to him, workers and other relevant stakeholders should have been properly consulted before such a major decision was taken.

“Actually, the agitation is over a Public-Private Partnership, PPP, which the leadership of the Teaching Hospital is embarking on. When you are undertaking something of that nature, you carry stakeholders along. The reverse is the case here.”

Faniran said the unions had earlier met with the hospital management, where both sides agreed that the existing arrangement would remain while further discussions continued.

He, however, alleged that management went ahead to interview prospective employees for a private laboratory shortly after the meeting.

“We had a meeting with them a few days ago, where we agreed that the status quo should remain. But to our surprise, they conducted interviews yesterday for the intending workers they want to engage for the private laboratory,” he said.

The union leader also questioned the justification for bringing in a private laboratory when the hospital’s existing laboratory, according to him, was already generating substantial revenue.

“Yes, they want to set up a private laboratory when we already have our own laboratory that is generating over 100 per cent revenue,” Faniran said.

He further accused the management of blaming workers for shortages of laboratory reagents and consumables, insisting that the existing laboratory could perform more effectively if it received adequate supplies and equipment.

The disagreement escalated after a meeting between the unions and the hospital’s governing board, scheduled for Thursday, failed to take place.

Faniran said the workers had gathered as early as 10 a.m. for the meeting but were informed around 2:30 p.m. that the board would not meet with them and that they should instead submit their position in writing.

“This morning, we were told that we would have a meeting with the board by 10 a.m. We converged since 10 a.m., only to be told around 2:30 p.m. that they were not interested in seeing us,” he said.

Following the development, the unions convened a congress where members resolved to stage the peaceful protest.

The workers are demanding that the PPP proposal be abandoned and that the existing services be strengthened through the provision of adequate equipment, reagents and other essential consumables.

“Our demand now is that we do not want Public-Private Partnership. Let us maximise the opportunity that is on ground. Provide reagents and consumables to us, and we are ready to work,” Faniran said.

He warned that the proposed PPP arrangement affected several departments, including radiology, ICU, morgue, kitchen and security, stressing that the unions were prepared to down tools if their concerns were not addressed before the expiration of the ultimatum.

“That is why we are now resisting. Radiology, ICU, Morgue, Kitchen and Security are all affected.

“If they fail to adhere to our demands, we have no option than to embark on strike on Monday because the 14-day ultimatum given earlier will expire by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday,” he said.

However, Chairman of the Governing Board of UNIOSUNTH, Niyi Owolade, said the dispute would be resolved through further discussions with the unions.

Owolade said the PPP model was not unusual in Nigeria’s healthcare sector, adding that talks on its implementation at UNIOSUNTH were still ongoing.

“We are meeting with the unions next week. The issue will be resolved next week,” he said.

He explained that the board’s decision followed approval from the Osun State Government, noting that negotiations surrounding the proposed partnership had not yet been concluded.

“The board came into the conclusion after an approval by the governor that we should have a Public Private Partnership and we have started the discussion but not yet completed the discussion,” Owolade said.

He added that similar PPP arrangements had already been introduced in some major hospitals in cities such as Ife and Ibadan.

“This is not the first place where PPP will be implemented. They have started in Ife, Ibadan. Most teaching hospitals in Nigeria have PPP. There is no much ado about it,” he said.