By Stephen Adeleye
Lokoja, April 30, 2024
The Anti Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) of the Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja (FTHL), has sensitised the staff and management of the health institution on combating corruption and corrupt practices.
The event was organized by the Anti Corruption & Transparency Unit (ACTU) of FTH in collaboration with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offenses Commission (ICPC).
The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of FTH Lokoja, Dr. Olatunde Alabi, led other members of the Top Management Committee (TMC) to flag-off the five-day sensitization program, tagged: “Combating Corruption In Health Institutions: Challenges and Prospects”.
In his opening remarks, Dr Alabi described the theme of the event as “a soul searching topic”, noting that corruption and corrupt practices if not curtailed, is capable of drowning everybody in the society.
The CMD commended members of ICPC present and enjoined the heads and senior staff of clinical department and units, head and senior staffs of works’ department and units to take every section of the workshop to heart.
“It is not only financial misdoings that qualify as corrupt practices, accepting and or soliciting gratification, and coming late to work qualifies as corrupt practices,” he said.
He expressed confidence in the ability of the Resource persons led by ACS Manniru Muhammed from ICPC, to expound on what corruption is and corrupt practices present within the health institutions and how to fight those practices in order to have a corrupt free institution.
Also speaking, the Chairman of ACTU, FTH Lokoja, Dr. Joseph A. Idu, thanked the CMD, members of the TMC, the ICPC resource persons, members of ACTU for their cooperation and dedication to the fight against corruption within the hospital.
He disclosed that the 2023 Ethics and Compliance Score Evaluation, saw FTHL scored 55% thereby coming first among federal institutions within Kogi State and came second among federal institutions within Kogi and Kwara, under the Kogi/Kwara Zonal command of the ICPC.
“This score is an improvement from the year 2022 where FTHL had 17%.
“This improvement couldn’t have been possible without the cooperation of the Management and the resolve of members of ACTU to see that the institution performs its duties and responsibilities to the public and maintain the highest standard of accountability in all regards,” Idu said.
The ACTU chairman enjoined the participants to do a self-assessment during and after the workshop and make the necessary corrections and adjustments in their various departments and units by doing the right things.
According to him, the self assessment will enable the participants to desist from any practice that falls within the ambit of corrupt practice so as to have an institution that would not only be a standard to others within the region but also the country and the world at large.
He urged them not to relent in the fight against corruption as the slogan is “if you see something, say something†and that the fight against corruption remained a collective fight.
During the workshop, the Resource Persons highlighted some forms of corruption to include: absenteeism, false claims for reimbursement, procurement fraud, bribe to obtain certificates, diversion of patients to private hospitals, and mismanagement of resources and theft of supplies.
The participants were therefore advised to desist from engaging in all sorts of corruption and corrupt practices if they had ever did.
Other dignitaries at the workshop include: the ACTU Secretary, Olachi Anyiegbu; Compliance Officer, Suleiman Danjuma of ACTU from the National Inland Water Ways Authority (NIWA); and the ACTU Chairman from the National Institute For Educational Planing And Administration (NIEPA) Ondo State Mr. Zachi Abraham, among others.
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