Some resident doctors at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba, Lagos, have recounted how the “lackadaisical” attitude of Folasade Yemi-Esan, Head of the Civil Service, and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation delayed their salaries for a year.

The affected resident doctors, who are about 20, told FIJ that they had worked at various federal hospitals across the country.

FIJ learnt that they all secured their present jobs between October 2021 and February 2022.

Usually, the profiles of federal government workers must be captured on the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS) before they can be eligible for salaries.

After assuming work at LUTH, the affected resident doctors submitted their information to the hospital management so that they would be migrated to the IPPIS.

However, despite submitting the required migration documents on time, the resident doctors’ IPPIS request has not been treated.

This means that since they started working at LUTH, the federal government has never paid them salaries.

“We were paid at our previous centres since we have been captured on the IPPIS. We submitted evidence of transfer or resignation at LUTH when it was requested. Because we already have IPPIS number, it is supposed to be a simple migration to incorporate us into LUTH’s payment platform and start getting paid,” one of the affected doctors, who asked not to be named, told FIJ.

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“It should not take up to two months for that to be effected. But since we started our residency – some started in October, some in November, some in December (2021) and some in January/February – none of us have been paid by the federal government because we have not been migrated by the federal government, by IPPIS, and by the office of the head of service. That is the problem.”

The source further revealed that for all of the affected doctors, documents relating to the payment platform were requested for by LUTH between January and February this year but nothing was done on their IPPIS migration.

STORIES, EXCUSES

The doctors told FIJ that when the management of LUTH eventually submitted their documents for processing, the attempt hit a brick wall as the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation in Abuja failed to treat their requests.

It was also learnt that despite the many SOS calls made to the Civil Service Head’s office by the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) (LUTH chapter), the issue remains unsolved.

“Whatever is responsible for the delay has not been communicated to us, whether individually or as a group of those who have been affected, in any concrete terms. We are only hearing stories that it is being done, they are working on it, all those are back and forth stories,” another affected doctor, who also wished not to be named, revealed.

The doctor said when it appeared a solution would never be reached, the ARD (LUTH chapter) went to Abuja in July, demanding to know the reason for the delay.

“Ideally, it is not an association thing. It is a management issue. We have submitted our documents to LUTH and they are supposed to have either liaised with the IPPIS in Abuja or the office of the head of service for the migration to be completed,” said a third affected resident doctor.

“When the association went to Abuja, they said the person who was supposed to effect the migration had taken her daughter to school and could not return on time.

“Another time, they said the person went to bury her mother and no one else amongst her colleagues could effect the change. Another time, they said she was not answering their calls. We don’t know what the problem is.

“We heard that the ARD (LUTH chapter) met the Deputy Director of IPPIS and some directors at the office of the head of service when they went to Abuja.

“The ARD got some contacts for follow-up and they assured them that our salaries would be paid.

“Some resident doctors who were transferred to other places across the country have been migrated to IPPIS and are getting paid. In fact, some of our colleagues who were newly employed in March this year have already been captured and are getting paid at LUTH. But ours should not even take long, but here we are in October.”

Following the prolonged delay and cycle of excuses, the doctors held a peaceful protest within the premises of LUTH on October 17 to press home their demands.

“This was one of the reasons we did a media protest on the 17th of this month. We got no feedback apart from the old story that they are working on it. In fact, the LUTH admin appeared shocked at the protest,” said another affected doctor.

“Meanwhile, we met the CMD in June, telling him that the issue was getting too long. We were assured that we would be paid before the end of June. But it’s as if the matter is beyond him and his team.”

A fourth resident doctor, who also pleaded anonymity, told FIJ that after submitting the necessary documents LUTH’s management told them the migration would be done in Abuja at the office of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF).

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He said they were later informed that due to a new process, the head of service was now in charge of the migration process.

“This was around May/July. When we expected it to be done, they told us the DG travelled. Later, we learnt that there were some mistakes. In fact, hazard allowances were paid to doctors and nurses but we did not get them because of this migration issue,” the doctor said.

“We don’t know what is really happening, but it is at the level of the office of the head of service. Everything has been sent, but the file keeps going from the head of service’s office back to that of the permanent secretary. We want the head of service to resolve this issue because it seems like a LUTH-only problem.”

‘WE DON’T WANT SALARY LOANS‘

FIJ learnt that in order to prevent the affected resident doctors from going on strike, the management of LUTH put a mechanism in place so that they could apply for salary loans while awaiting a resolution.

Some of the doctors applied for the loan, which is interest-free and an equivalent of their exact salary, while others maintained that they wanted to get paid through the appropriate channel.

“After the ARD sent representatives to Abuja, the management of LUTH started paying salary advance in July to those that applied,” a fifth resident doctor, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said.

“Now, the caveat on this is that the money will be returned. That is, the so-called salary advance will be paid back when federal government paid all the affected doctors their salaries.

“But we don’t want that to continue. We want to be migrated so we can start getting paid from the source. Those who feel that migration should not take that long have refused to apply for the loan. They said they would wait until the migration was done.”

The doctor further noted that some of his colleagues who were transferred to other federal hospitals had been migrated.

“They said the problem was not from here, but Abuja. When the association went to Abuja, apparently our files had been on the table of the desk officer in charge and he had not worked on it since June. But he started working on it when the association got there in July,” he further said.

“After that, it was sent to the table of the head of service for approval, but it was sent back to the IPPIS desk. The IPPIS said they had worked on it and sent it down to the head of service again. Someone contacted them recently, but they said it was still at the table of the head of service waiting for approval.”

GOOD NEWS?

When contacted, Dimowo Palangutde, Vice President, Association of Resident Doctors (LUTH chapter), told FIJ that the issue would soon be sorted out.

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“We got an update this week that the head of service, whom we directed our appeal to, had finally given an approval,” Palangutde said.

“Although we don’t know if the affected resident doctors will start getting paid this month or in November, they will definitely be paid. We have not yet got a conclusive update, but we are very sure that even if not this month, probably next month.”

WE’VE DONE THE NEEDFUL — LUTH

In an interview with FIJ, Pius Ewa, a representative of the public relations office at LUTH, said the management had forwarded the necessary documents to the head of service in Abuja.

When asked when the documents were forwarded to Abuja, he said, “As soon as the doctors were taken in and documentations were concluded, the update was sent to Abuja and the necessary quarters that needed to work on them. There is also constant updating of information.

“We have been following up because we have done all that is necessary. But you should know that employment process is not just done by the LUTH management. It involves the head of service and the accountant general’s office, among others.”

In response to how long it takes to migrate newly absorbed doctors to the payment platform in federal government hospitals, he said, “There is nothing like how long it should take. But on the side of the management of LUTH, all that needs to be done has been done.”

FIJ made several phone calls to the offices of the head of service and the IPPIS secretariat for comments, but they were not answered.

Several calls were also made to Henshaw Ogubike, Director, Information and Press, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, but he did not answer them.

The emails sent to all three agencies had not been responded to at press time.