COVID -19 SLAVES: PHYSICIANS SMILE HOME WITH N720,000 WHILE LAB SCIENTISTS GETS N200,000 PEANUTS IN MAINLAND HOSPITAL, YABA

Secret Reporters

With news and allegations of corruption running amok in Nigeria’s Social media space chiefly on the management of funds provided to combat the coronavirus outbreak in major states in the country, the management team of the Mainland Hospital, Yaba Lagos formally known as Infectious Disease Hospital has allegedly joined the bandwagon of those undermining the collective efforts so far put in place to checkmate the pandemic of which the welfare of health workers especially those on the frontline is a priority.

Sources squealed to SecretReporters that as incentives, Nurses in the hospital go home with the sum of four hundred and eighty thousand Naira (N480,000), Doctors smile home with seven hundred and twenty thousand Naira (720,000) while Medical Laboratory Scientists are being paid a paltry sum of two hundred thousand Naira (N200,000) for exposing themselves to the dangers of the Coronavirus despite billions earmarked for its possible containment with top-level Staff in the hospital having a corruption galore by allegedly diverting same funds to their private coffers.

This was unmasked when the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu during one of his unscheduled visits to the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) berated the management over accommodation which was one of the challenges being faced by the health workers since the outbreak as they can’t return home to their families.

Shockingly, it was revealed that the governor had made adequate provision for three hotels for the health workers to comfortably retire to after a day’s job but out of greed, the management subjected the workers to stay in overcrowded rooms as only one or two hotels was allegedly provided.

Those working in the lab at the IDH we learned are the most neglected and marginalized as several pleas and meeting with the IM Dr Abdulsalam fell on deaf ears after he severely assured that the issues raised will be looked into.

Considering the essential service they are providing and the risk involved, it was also revealed that the health workers especially those on the frontline who come in constant contact with the samples collected from patients demanded a review of the amount paid to them by the hospital management to at least equal or measure up to that of their counterparts to cover for the daily risks as they do more work than others and are more exposed.

However, the hospital management rather than seeing reason with the health workers, in their usual bragado style poised on creating discord hinted on dividing the scientists collecting samples from those doing the tests all in a selfish bid to cut and divert the provided funds by considering to paying the same amount as other staff to those collecting samples while they review that of those doing test only

The health workers thereby call on the Lagos State Government and the necessary authorities to quickly wade into the matter as such embezzlement and professional marginalization can weaken the morale of the health care workers in combating the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Efforts made to reach the IM Dr Abdulsalam on his known phone line concerning the allegation proved abortive as at the time of filing this report.