An unsigned internal memo dated 27 July 2024 and titled “Edo Specialist Hospital Employee Development Initiative and Policy” circulated among the staff of Edo Specialist Hospital last month, is generating controversy as it confirm suspicions about the facility’s management.

The memo reveals that Ciuci-AGCare, a private hospital in Lagos, has been clandestinely managing the hospital, keeping it out of reach for the ordinary Edo people despite being built with taxpayer money under a spurious contract with the Edo State government.
The memo revealed that the State government’s contract with Ciuci-AGCare has no defined tenure, even as it leaves the details of financial arrangements, performance metrics, and training for healthcare professionals shrouded in secrecy. The arrangement ensured that the government effectively paralyzed the State Health Management Board, the statutory body responsible for managing all hospitals in Edo State.

As the tenure of Governor Obaseki and his PDP government draws to a close, Ciuci-AGCare appears to be scrambling to secure its hold on the hospital as it has unveiled a controversial new scheme, dubbed AGCare CLINICAL-HEIRS, aimed at reassigning personnel and assets at will.

Under the framework, all contract employees are being onboarded immediately and await compulsory temporary reassignments to Ciuci-AGCare operated facilities such as elderly care homes and private hospitals in Edo, Delta, and Imo States, as well as in Kenya, the UK, and the USA, without prior notice.

Newsmen reports that this new policy has sparked concern and outrage among hospital staff for several reasons. The memo does not specify the duration of the temporary reassignments, the selection process for employees, or the criteria for exceptions. This ambiguity leaves employees in a state of uncertainty about their future roles and responsibilities.

It violates their workers rights by making the program compulsory for all contract staff without exceptions strips them of their rights, forcing them into roles without their consent or consideration for their personal circumstances.

Some staff are worried that the move fails to address how these temporary reassignments will affect the current operations of the hospital as, “There is no mention of how positions will be backfilled or how continuity of care will be maintained during staff absences”.
“Edo Specialist Hospital is being used as a litmus test for this scheme, yet the memo does not provide any examples or testimonials from similar initiatives. This lack of precedent adds to the skepticism and fear among employees”, said a staff who pleaded anonymity.

It was also gathered that the plan has no support systems in place for employees who will have to adapt to new environments just as information about mentorship, orientation, and support networks is conspicuously absent from the memo.

This latest development has cast a shadow over the future of Edo Specialist Hospital, raising questions about its viability once the current government exits.

The secrecy and controversial policies introduced by Ciuci-AGCare have left many wondering if the hospital will be able to function at all without adequate personnel, equipment, and materials