By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY – THE immediate past Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire has come under fire for appointing Acting Medical Directors for the three newly established National Orthopedic Hospitals in Edo, Plateau and Taraba states when the former Minister of State for Health, Hon Ekumankam Joseph under whose purview such appointments lie had earlier issued appointment to three different people for the same purpose.

 Affected in this controversy is the newly established hospital in Edo State as while Hon Joseph appointed Dr Philip Ugbodaga to head the new hospital, a few days later, Ehanire appointed Professor Alexander Ogbemudia.

   Ehanire was said to have issued the three letters 48 hours after Hon Joseph issued the letter of appointments to the three.

   Vanguard gathered on Wednesday morning that the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry who is now in charge of the ministry pending when ministers would be appointed by the new federal government has set up a committee to “look at the confusion putting into consideration the roles assigned to the two ministers.”

  A senior staff of the Ministry who spoke to Vanguard on the condition of anonymity said “On Wednesday, 24th May, 2023, consistent with his schedule and mandate, the former Hon Minister of State for Health, Hon Ekumankama Joseph presented letters of appointment in Acting capacity to three Medical Directors in a ceremony in his office.

   “However, on Friday 26th, May, 2023, the former Hon Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire issued letters of appointment to three different doctors for the same positions.”

   He said “The approved schedule and mandate of the Hon Minister of State for Health covers all research institutions, all Federal Medical Centres, all Specialty hospitals (Orthopaedic, Psychiatric, Fistula, Eye and ear etc), all Schools/colleges under the ministry of health and others, they are all contained in the ministry’s operational documents.

  “The Hon Minister, Dr Osagie Ehanire has all Federal Teaching Hospitals (like National Hospital, LUTH, UCH, UBTH and others under his schedule of oversight.

  “I wouldn’t know the reason for the former minister’s action because there are several institutions under him that are without substantive heads like the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital in Edo State and even LUTH and some others but the committee will look at all these and submit their recommendations to the Permanent Secretary”