Staff fate uncertain as AMI Hospital closes business
Ms Roselyn Sesoa an employee of a Dar es Salaam based Medical Investment Ltd (AMI) Hospital, also known as Trauma Centre) speaks to journalists as other staff look on after the High Court ordered the hospital to vacate the premise over non-payment of $1.75 million in rental costs for 3 years. PHOTO|SALIM SHAO
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This was evident yesterday when tens of neglected AMI employees gathered in front of the then hospital building to voice their frustration on how AMI Hospital management was treating their case after the High Court ordered the facility to vacate the premises for non-payment of $1.75 million in rental costs for 3 years.
Dar es Salaam. The fate of employees of Medical Investment Ltd (AMI) Hospital, also known as Trauma Centre in Dar es Salaam, hangs in the balance as the hospital officially closes business in Tanzania.
This was evident yesterday when tens of neglected AMI employees gathered in front of the then hospital building to voice their frustration on how AMI Hospital management was treating their case after the High Court ordered the facility to vacate the premises for non-payment of $1.75 million in rental costs for 3 years.
Ms Roslyn Sesoa who was a nurse at the hospital said the management has stopped picking their calls and nobody is communicating to them regarding the fate of their National Social Security Fund (NSSF) contributions as well as salary arrears.
“We have gone to NSSF to check how much we have contributed to the fund, but to our surprise, AMI management was deducting our part of the contribution from our salaries, but not remitting the same to NSSF,” said Ms Sesoa.
She said doctors, nurses, receptionists and cleaners are now stranded as their employment has been cut short without any compensation. This includes local employees and expatriates.
Implementing the courts order issued earlier this month, AMI assets and the premise were yesterday handed over to the landlord, Mr Navtej Bains, whom AMI owes the said amount.
A court broker from MEM Auctioneers and General Brokers Ltd, Mr Elieza Mwambo, said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that they had followed all eviction procedures as per the court order by issuing an eviction notice to the facility’s management and proceeded to give another grace period of one week for the hospital to transfer admitted patients, something which was done on humanitarian grounds.
“We have done a very peaceful eviction and we thank God that no patient lost life in the process. This is because we handled the case carefully knowing that this facility was occupied by a hospital. We have attached all AMI assets which includes CT-Scan, X-ray machines, three ambulances, one Saloon car (Mark II), special hospital beds, computers, chairs and other hospital gadgets, which will be auctioned to recover part of the rent,” said Mr Mwambo.
He added that during the auction, they will give priority to an investor who will be interested in renting the premise to use as a hospital.
He said the landlord is already in talks with other reputed medical institutions and is eager to get a medical facility running in the same premises so that residents there should continue having medical services next to their door steps.
Available data show that though AMI failed to pay rental costs, the hospital was undoubtedly the most expensive one in terms of consultation and in patient services in Tanzania.
