Two hospital staff suspended over embezzlement

The Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu has suspended the principal and vice principal of its School of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing over alleged embezzlement of students’ examination fees.

Daily Trust gathered that the Principal, Mrs Ruth BuzoMadulia and theVice Principal, Mr Afam Ndu, respectively were suspended in respect of their alleged failure to remit about N400,000 to the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria collected from the 2016 set of students as part of application, registration, certificate and licensing fees.

Also, it was gathered that each of the 31 affected students who graduated in 2016 were made to pay over N48,000 amounting to over N1.5million into the personal account of the Vice Principal to enable them collect their psychiatric nursing license. However, one year after the payment was made and graduation, they could neither be registered nor be given their practicing license.

But when contacted on the development yesterday, both the principal and vice principal denied embezzling examination funds, insisting that the hospital authority lacked powers to suspend them.

The Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Jojo Onwukwe, who signed the letter announcing the suspension of the two school heads, said the suspension was based on the recommendation of a panel headed by Dr. J.U Achor, a Chief Consultant Psychiatric which the hospital set up on the matter, adding that it was to pave way for uninterrupted investigation.