A former staff member of the Makkah Eye Specialist Hospital in Bauchi, Mr. Umar Faruk, has won a lawsuit against the hospital after four years of legal battle.
In a judgment, the presiding judge of Bauchi High Court 7, Justice L.K. Umar, ordered the management of the Hospital to restrain from further harassing Faruk, its ex-staff.
The court further judged that the complaint by the Hospital’s Manager, Mr Abdullahi Badamasi at the DSS alleging that Mr Faruk was threatening his life was false. The complaint was settled against the manager.
Delivering judgment on the case on Monday 11th November, Justice Umar said Mr Badamasi’s complaint against Mr Faruk at the DSS “was false and actuated by malice.”
The judge separately awarded “exemplary damages” of N100,000 and another N100,000 to cover the cost of prosecuting the case to the defendant, Mr Faruk.
In 2020 authorities at Makkah Eye Hospital Bauchi sued Mr Faruk after sacking him for exposing wrongdoings in the facility, an act that did not go down well with the management.
Similarly, Makkah Eye Specialist Hospital sued WikkiTimes after the platform published a two-month investigation exposing how the hospital shortchanged Bauchi government in tax remittances, retrenchment of indigenous staff, harassment of patients and exorbitant charges for drugs and services despite being a not-for-profit organisation.
The hospital demanded for N2bn damages from WikkiTimes, publisher Haruna Mohammed, reporter Idris Kamal and Umar Faruk. The case is still in court.
Following the investigation, Christian Blind Mission suspended its eye care programme with Makka Eye Specialist Hospital.
Recall that recently Kano branch of the hospital was enmeshed in a controversy after a Kano resident Dr Taha Mohammed alleged that medical negligence from the hospital led to damaging of his father’s eye during treatment.
Governor Abbak Kabir Yusuf has constituted a committee to investigate the allegations and recommend necessary action to the Kano State government.
