The Board Chairman of the Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Niyi Owolade, has disclosed that the state governor, Ademola Adeleke has been able to retain a lot of health workers in the state through improved payment of salaries and other emoluments.
Owolade said the state government has been able to close the wage disparity for medical personnel at the teaching hospital and its neighbouring states, saying the development has been boosting the morale of health workers to give quality services to patients.
He made this known in Osogbo on Wednesday while featuring as the guest speaker at “Frontliners”, a flagship programme of the League of Veteran Journalists in Osun State.
Identifying brain drain of medical professionals in Nigeria as one of the major challenges wrestling with the nation’s health sector, Owolade commended Governor Adeleke for prioritising healthcare delivery, saying his interventions and strengthening of the health system have been sources of motivation for available health workers who have been giving their best to the crucial service.
Notwithstanding, the chairman of the teaching hospital board, said there is still more for government to do to make enhance better service delivery, especially in the area of funding, electricity and manpower.
He disclosed that the governor has promised to approve recruitment of more staff this year, noting that the available personnel have been overwhelmed by the increasing number of patients who besiege the teaching hospital for treatments.
Owolade recalled how officials of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company attempted to disconnect power to the hospital even when lives were at stake, noting that it took the efforts of the court of law to prevent the medical facility from being thrown into darkness over inability to offset accumulated bills.
Describing healthcare as capital intensive, Owolade, a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, expressed happiness that the present administration in the state is ready to spend money on health sector.
“Healthcare is a key sector that Nigeria pays lukewarm service to and the care of the aged. It is capital intensive and we thank God that we have a governor that is ready to spend the money. Health care delivery is not for the faint-hearted. It involves a lot of money spending,” he said.
Owing to the quality service that workers at UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital Osogbo render, Owolade said many patients who ought to visit primary and secondary health facilities now throng the tertiary institution for care.
“We are overwhelmed at the tertiary level. Nobody wants to go for treatment at other tiers if health facilities again. Because of this, our staff goes the extra mile. We urge the government to observe that and help the tertiary institution.
“WHO standard is one nurse to three patients but this is not so in Osun. They are overwhelmed. We pray for more government intervention,” the former Deputy Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly stated.
He urged journalists to be more involved in policies and programmes of government and engage public office holders by setting agenda for them.
Speaking, the Chief Medical Director of the teaching hospital, Babatunde Afolabi, promised that the institution would continue to provide quality services to the people of the state.
The Chief Medical Director of Onward Specialist Hospital, Agunbelewo, Daniel Laosebikan, the Chairman of the occasion said journalists were no longer the dregs of the society as it used to be years before, but now formidable stakeholders in development of the society.
In his welcome remarks, the Acting Chairman, Osun State League of Veteran Journalists, Adeyeye Oyedokun explained that the media is crucial to the stability of democracy in the country, noting the gains of its engagements with relevant authorities on the overall goodness of the larger society.
