The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has taken a decisive step towards resolving the lingering industrial dispute at the Futa Teaching Hospital, Akure, by inviting the leadership of Organised Labour in Ondo State to a high-level engagement aimed at restoring industrial harmony and ensuring the delivery of uninterrupted healthcare services at the hospital.
In a letter signed on behalf of the Permanent Secretary by the Deputy Director, Festus Igbinosun, the Ministry informed the Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Ondo State Chapter, that a delegation from the Ministry would visit the hospital on Friday, July 24 2026 to address the issues surrounding the persistent disruption of services and other matters affecting the smooth running of the hospital.
The meeting, scheduled to be held at the Boardroom of the Futa Teaching Hospital, follows a report submitted by the hospital’s Management to the Health Ministry on the recurring industrial actions and is intended to provide a platform for constructive dialogue among all stakeholders.
The intervention comes shortly after the successful completion of the Federal Government’s transition programme for the former UNIMED Teaching Hospital, Akure, by which it became the Futa Teaching Hospital.
The transition process culminated in the completion of the biometric capture of all eligible staff that were selected into the approved Nominal Roll, marking the successful implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was signed and contacted between the Ondo State Government and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on 23rd October, 2025.
Recall that the staff absorption exercise was conducted strictly in line with Article 5 (5.1.3) of the MoU, which stipulates that only eligible officers of the old would be absorbed into the Federal Civil Service.
The process had included a comprehensive staff verification exercise which was conducted between 8th and 12th December, 2025, by an inter-ministerial committee that was made up of officials from the Federal Ministries of Health and Finance, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
Following the verification, the list of eligible officers was further scrutinised using established Public Service guidelines, including age specification, qualifications, previous service records, the approved standard organisational structure for Federal Teaching Hospitals, and the prescribed clinical-to-non-clinical staff ratio.
It was also gathered that 265 members of staff of the former hospital were found ineligible for absorption into the Federal Civil Service and have been recommended to the Ondo State Government for redeployment into the State Civil Service.
To conclude the transition process, a biometric capture for payroll enrolment under the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) was conducted in Akure between 8th and 13th June, 2026, while a mop-up exercise was held in Abuja from 9th to 13th July, 2026 for officers who were unable to participate in the earlier exercise.
The Honourable Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, expressed appreciation to the Ondo State Government and the people of the state for their cooperation and support throughout the transition process, describing the successful completion of the takeover as a product of mutual understanding and collaboration.
With the Ministry’s planned intervention, stakeholders are optimistic that the engagement with Organised Labour will provide an amicable resolution to the outstanding issues and strengthen industrial peace, thereby enabling the hospital to focus on its core mandate of delivering high quality healthcare, teaching and research.
