By Ndidi Chukwu
The FCT chapter of the Joint Health Sector Union has denied the allegation by the FCT chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association, that the “members of JOHESU invaded the premises of the Gwarimpa General Hospital brandishing dangerous weapons and unleashed terror on all personnel including medical doctors” calling it a total lie and said its members did not manhandled any hospital personnel.
JOHESU FCT president, Comrade Maduka Mpka called on Association of Resident Doctors of the NMA to desist from making inflammatory statements and unfounded allegations against JOHESU and demands an apology from ARD and Dr Akerele NMA president.
The NMA had accused the union of tear-gasing its members, but JOHESU said it is the height of mischief and barefaced falsehood for NMA to make such allegations and demanded for proof from the NMA as he asked, “does teargas discriminate? How come then it was only the Doctors that inhaled the tear gas”
The JOHESU chairman said, “JOHESU was on a legitimate strike, and members did not break down entrances to the Gwarimpa General Hospital which already were accessible to the public, we were on routine monitoring rounds to hospitals in FCTA on that Wednesday, the team visited the Gwarimpa Hospital at 12noon. As the team was making its way to the medical laboratory unit, the head of the laboratory in Gwarimpa on sighting the monitoring team hurriedly rushed to shut the door of the laboratory. It was in this forceful process that the glass pane of the door was broken. The team also made similar visit to Asokoro District Hospital, Wuse General Hospital and Maitama District Hospital without any untoward incident” he said, calling on the NMA to provide evidence of the purported “vandalism”
The NMA had said that the JOHESU used firearms to shoot tear gas canister into the hospital, but the union said “JOHESU has no militant wing. It has no reason to have one. It does not keep an armoury and members do not bear arms.
