Sapele Central Hospital Crisis: Panel recommends Administrator’s Demotion, Transfer

…as Secretary Hospital Service moves to Quash Report.

The crisis rocking Central Hospital Sapele, Delta State, is becoming miser as the panels set up by the hospital management has recommended Mrs Caroline Azegbo, the hospital Administrator for demotion and transfer over acts of misconduct.

Recall that one Mr Efe Iyanu, an alleged lover of the hospital Administrator, Mrs. Azegbo, on January 26th, assaulted a staff of the hospital Mr Lewis Oghueh, while the Medical Director, Dr. Peter Edevbie who invited the two men to sort-out an issue watched helplessly.

Following the misgiving and tension the incident is generating the Hospital, the Director Hospital Service, Delta State Hospital Management Board queried the Medical Director who then hurriedly set-up a 5-man administrative panel to investigate the matter.

The 5-man panel led by Dr. Aragbah last week submitted its report to the Medical Director,  and as parts of their recommendations, recommended punitive action of two steps demotion and transfer for Mrs. Azegbo, who ordinarily should face outright dismissal for bringing a third party to assault a staff, in order to serve as a deterrent to others.

But in a deft move, Mrs Azegbo had recruited one Ebo Keseme Daniel, Secretary Hospital Service, SHS, Delta State Hospital Management Board Asaba to not only quash the recommendations, but has gone a step ahead to transfer some top hospital management staff, who they considered as not cooperative in the current saga.

To cover their track, the SHS, Mr Ebo transferred the auditor and deputy to Mrs Azegbo, in a move many staff in the hospital termed as vindictive, because the two management staff has refused to be compromised or pocketed like others.

Investigation revealed that the crime of the transferred auditor, is having the temerity to query an alleged monthly remittance through the hospital administrator, Mrs Azegbo to the SHS, Mr Ebo, an action which irked the SHS, and not too sure of outcome of the panel report, and the risk of having the two uncompromising staff around, SHS last week transferred both of them from the hospital.

Not done, the SHS has also been fingered in alleged attempt to bully some staff who were witness to the assault of Oghueh from testifying before the visiting panel constituted by Director Hospital Service, Delta State Hospital Management Board, a situation which has created palpable tension, as the fear of Ebo is the beginning of wisdom in HMB.

Our source added that by intimidating witness from coming forward to testify for fear of victimization, even the Medical Director, according to our source was incoherent in his presentation when the members of the panel set up by the DHS visited the hospital, “because the administrator also has what she can use to nail him.”

The source who pleaded for anonymity noted that unless, “God intervene in this matter, noting will come out of it because Mrs Azegbo owns HMB, anything she wants, with the help of Ebo she gets. That is why she has become a demigod in Central Hospital Sapele.

Ebo our source added has assured the administrator that nothing will come out of the report submitted or the one that is awaiting submission.

You will recall that Oghueh trouble started when the hospital administrator’s car had battery problem and she requested that Oghueh who is incharge of the hospital generator gave Mrs. Azegbo one of the batteries, but rather than return after use the she turned it into her personal property and all effort to make her return it failed to yield the desired result as she resorted to threat and intimidation.

Matter came to head when Mrs Azegbo rather than return the battery as requested by Oghueh, brought her lover who has unhindered access to any place in the hospital to beat him up when he was trying to explain what transpired to the MD.

According to the source, “Oghueh was called by the MD to come and check the battery in Mrs Azegbo’s car, but before he could say anything, Mr Efe Iyanu, descended on him with punches, slapping him and because it is against the civil service rule, he couldn’t fight back as he was beaten until he almost passed out, while the MD looked on.

“He was later rushed to the emergency unit of the hospital where medical doctors treated him and was later placed on admission and was discharged after three days on admission.

Meanwhile, when SHS, Mr Ebo was contacted on phone on his take as to why Mrs. Azegbo who was allegedly transferred in November 2017 got the posting  withdrawn because the woman makes monthly retunes to him, SHS, Mr Ebo dismissed the allegation as unfounded and baseless.

Ebo who boasted that he is not afraid of anything or anybody because he is an Asaba man said; “She gives me N100,000 monthly returns; when you heard the information, did you see the transfer letter?

“I will not respond to you, I don’t talk to press, if you are doing investigative journalism and you were told that she was transferred and that she gives me 1million every month, did you see the bank statement or the transfer letter.

“Prove to me that this lady was transferred that is what you have to do first, not by calling me, can you intimidate me? How much did she give, investigate very well and tell the person to give you the copy of the transfer letter for us to know if the transfer was cancelled before you talk about settling me, how much does she have, has she paid her children school fees, abeg go call another person.

“I believe you have been given money for you to call me, am I your mate? how can you be calling me on phone? do you know me before? You should have looked for the posting letter outside Sapele and the one that returned her back to Sapele, and then, you could have ground to say something is fishing here.”

When asked why the Hospital Deputy administrator and Auditor where hastily transferred following the crisis rocking the hospital

Ebo has this to say; “If they were transferred are they the first transfer that we are making, the person you say is giving me money is the person self sufficient? Is it possible for people to borrow money to settle?

“In short all these allegation nor they threaten me, I nor dey fear, I be Asaba person, I nor dey fear, I just dey call you back because you surprise me, because you just pick your phone dey call me, that you hear, what is that one, that one is nothing now. I nor be person when dey panic, anything I do, I can defend it, all these you are saying, I didn’t post Mrs Azegbo,” he added.