UMTH: Looking at the hub for organizational administrative tasks (1)

UMTH: Looking at the hub for organizational administrative tasks (1)

By: Balami  Lazarus      

Any organization, whether it is public or private, needs to have a department within its system that functions similarly to a computer’s central processing unit. As a result, the Department of Administration at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, which serves as the hub for organizational administrative tasks, comes into focus as we explore the huge concept and ambition of the CMD in turning challenges into opportunities and putting every effort into making employees that comprise the department’s human capital more active in their endeavors through the servantship idea in welding vision to achieving goals. Indeed, as the CMD would always say, the employees are the driving force behind the successes at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH).

The central administration of this medical facility is located in the office of the Director of Administration (DA), who oversees the general administration of this hospital under the leadership of Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo, the CMD. Therefore, UMTH’s general administration lies in the DA’s office, in the engine room, where the work is carried out with a total of about 4,000 employees, both clinical and non-clinical. The collection and simplification of their duties and responsibilities involving the basic collection of like terms is necessary to avoid clashes.

Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo, CMD

In such a large medical tertiary hospital, how can the Department of Administration coordinate its workforce? NEWSng was reliably informed that “the department of administration is structured into the following departments: Human Resource Management, Pension and Gratuity, Manpower Development (Training), Public Relations Services, and Clinical Services, among others, including her sub-units.

These departments and sub-units are under and are all answerable to the Director of Administration (DA), Mr. Idriss Omar.

Speaking with Mr. Idriss Omar, the DA, an experienced and seasoned administrator who runs and keeps the general administration activities functioning, said, “Because of the synergy, good working relationship, and understanding between the CMD, Chairmam Medical Adversary Committee (CMAC), and the entire personnel and my office as DA of this gigantic medical facility as a tertiary hospital, the best in West Africa with about 4,000 employees, we find it easy to face our daily challenges through the synergy of collectiveness.”

Mr. Omar said it is worth mentioning Mallam Baba Mai Ali, the first Director of Administration (1980–1990), who set up and put in place this great Department of Administration of this hospital. The department is therefore headed by the Director of Administration, who is responsible for the effective and smooth functioning of all administrative divisions of the hospital. He is assisted in his duties by duplicity directors, assistant directors, and a number of chief administrative officers and chief executive officers spread across the various units.

Technically, and in consideration of the monograph chart, there is only one substantive director, which is the Director of Administration (DA), in the whole UMTH. “The history of the Department of Administration at UMTH dates back to 1979, when an interim management committee was set up under the then Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri, distinguished former Senator Jibril Aminu.

The first management board was appointed in 1980, and the first ward, the obstetrics ward, was opened to the public. The first patient was admitted on February 18, 1982. Since then, the Department of Administration has been playing vital and crucial administrative roles in the hospital. Mr. Idriss, the DA, further states that “the hospital was officially commissioned on July 23, 1983.

It was established by Act CAP 463 of 1985 for the establishment of university teaching hospitals. The Acts provide for the establishment of a board of management.’

NEWSng was able to see the great achievements achieved by the Department of Administration of this hospital over the years. This department had been involved in various administrative assignments, which it had successfully delivered. “These assignments include, but are not limited to, the preparation and coordination of meetings of the Board of Management, the Top Management Committee, revolving fund committees, and other standing and ad hoc committees.

The department has also played vital roles in recruitment exercises, interviews for internships, and admission of students into the various schools of the hospital. ‘  lt has also posted staff to provide administrative services to all the departments, schools, and centers of the hospital, and there have been almost zero adverse reports from their various stations.’

The DA Mr. Idriss Omar quickly informed NEWSng that renovations, promotions, employment, and trainings for both clinical and non-clinical staff have been facilitated by this department for those who merited it. ‘ A facelift of the entire administrative block with the refurbishment of offices was achieved. “The administration of Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo had ensured promotion for staff as and when due.” He added.

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Since the inception of this administration, staff have enjoyed training and retraining in their different endeavors to enable a foreseeable workforce to match the accelerated infrastructure development in the hospital’. Furthermore, staff had been employed in the past four years to replace the retired, dead, and transferred staff in the facility. Dependable sources said that the able leadership of Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo has not failed even once to pay staff salaries, entitlements, and even promotion arrears.

Malam Idriss Omar, DA

New findings reveal that the management pays all fees for staff workshops and trainings, especially those in-service trainings. According to the DA, Mallam Omar, “I most certainly say the administration department has enjoyed cooperation and attention from the present regime of Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo, our CMD.”

Despite the achievements of this department in question, it is facing challenges in terms of office space and office working materials. Due to the increasing number of employees, office space has drastically decreased. Staff are overcrowded, putting pressure on facilities such as conveniences, chairs, and tables. Working materials and tools such as functional computers, printers, A4 papers, photocopy machines, file tags, office files, and others are always in short supply and, in some cases, unavailable. This is also a result of the growing needs facing the hospital, but the CMD and his management team are taking on this huge task in their next move to ensure that as the clinical areas get better, the administrative area also gets better in order to serve the state, region, Nigeria, and indeed, sub-Saharan Africa better.

UMTH: Looking at the hub for organizational administrative tasks (1)