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Strong outrage has greeted the planned layoff of long-serving locum and casual staff at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) in Makurdi.
The move, which has sparked widespread condemnation, is being attributed to the hospital’s management under Chief Medical Director, Dr. Terungwa Stephen Hwande, with many workers also pointing fingers at the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia.
According to an internal memo, the hospital can no longer sustain the salaries of these casual and locum workers from its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), while approval for their conversion to permanent staff is still pending at the state government level.
Critics have described the planned sack as insensitive and unfair to workers who have dedicated several years of service to the hospital under very difficult conditions, only to now face possible dismissal without job security or proper compensation.
Many residents and observers are questioning why long-serving casual staff are being targeted for layoffs at a time when new employees were recently recruited into the system. They argue that responsible leadership should prioritize regularizing the appointments of these dedicated workers rather than subjecting them to uncertainty and hardship.
The situation has also raised broader concerns about the state of affairs at BSUTH, with some accusing the management of poor planning, weak administration, and failure of leadership. The memo reportedly admitted that several units in the hospital have become unproductive and financially burdensome.
For many affected families, the planned layoff represents not just job loss but a devastating economic blow amid the prevailing hardship in the country. There are growing calls on Governor Hyacinth Alia and the BSUTH management to immediately suspend the exercise and pursue more humane solutions that protect the livelihood of workers who have spent years serving the institution.
As at the time of this report, the hospital management is yet to issue an official public statement on the matter. The development continues to generate heated debates among health workers and the general public in Benue State.
