Ripples in Edo hospital MGT board over appointment of indicted staff as Permanent Secretary

By Ikhili Ebalu, Benin City

Crisis seems to be looming in Edo State Hospital Management Board as some aggrieved staff of the hospital have expressed their resentment over a staff of the hospital that was recently appointed Permanent Secretary by the state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki.

The agrieved staff have raised questions over Mrs Ebhodaghe Ehimwenma Joy having been indicted by a committee which was set up by the Hospital Management Board in September 2017 wondered why same Mrs Ebhodaghe Ehimwenma Joy be made Permanent Secretary despite the panel report that found her culpable?

A member of the hospital, ( name withheld ) ,said Mrs Ebhodaghe Ehimwenma Joy appointment as Permanent Secretary was questionable.

She said, Ebhodaghe E Joy was indicted by a committee which was set up by the Hospital Management Board in September 2017 to investigate her as Director of Pharmacy and Head of Department,(SOH), in Stella Obasanjo hospital.

According to her, “the Panel which was chaired by Dr. Mrs Bakare, (Consultant Ophthalmology SOH), with four others as members find Mrs Ebhodaghe guity.

The panel according to her, ” found Dr. Mrs E J . Ebhodaghe to be generally inefficient according to ( Civil Service Rules 030201),as a manager/ management staff.”

Mrs Ebhodaghe was asked by the panel to refund the sum of ,#10 million to the board as amount she could not account for.

Part of the report reads, ” Dr (Mrs) E.J.Ebhodaghe , Director of Pharmacy and Head of Department ( between September ,2015 to March ,2017. SOH). Her action during that period shows she lacks the capacity, capability,competence, financial discipline and integrity of managerial status befitting headship of a pharmacy department in a government establishment .She is therefore culpable in the light of Civil Service rule 030201(General Inefficiency) and Civil Service rule 03030/sub sections e, f, g, h(Misconduct) for her failure to keep records unauthorized removal of public records (negligence and dishonesty).”

Concluding, “the panel recommends she should thus never again be placed in such a sensitive office / position or made a team leader. She should always be under supervision and close monitoring.”

It would be recalled that Governor Godwin Obaseki last month appointed 14 permanent Secretary into the civil service.