AMBO Media Front, a support group affiliated with Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate, has berated Governor Ademola Adeleke’s response to Oyebamiji’s remarks on the state of the health sector in Osun State, describing it as insult-laden and evasive of the real challenges confronting the sector.
Oyebamiji had, during the investiture of his spouse, Dr Sekinah Bola-Oyebamiji, as President of Women Doctors in the State, drawn attention to what he described as the poor condition of healthcare facilities across Osun and pledged that, if elected governor, his administration would prioritise the sector and implement necessary reforms.
The Oyebamiji support group, in a statement by its coordinator, Adebayo Adedeji, and made available to newsmen in Osogbo on Saturday, said the description of the health sector as moribund is supported by data from CheckMyPHC.org.
According to Adedeji, the report shows that 73 per cent of primary healthcare centres (PHCs) lack sufficient staff to function effectively, with the majority of PHCs having between zero and one personnel, while 44 per cent have no staff at all. He said this means that almost three out of every four PHCs in Osun State are severely understaffed.
The report also noted that many PHCs lack clean water, functional toilets and basic hygiene supplies, forcing nurses and patients to rely on unhygienic sources for deliveries, sterilisation and hand washing.
The group praised the achievements of the previous APC-led administration under former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, noting that over 300 PHCs were renovated or constructed and fully equipped, including the provision of boreholes and overhead tanks.
“At the State Specialist Hospital, Asubiaro, a 120-bed ward and a 30-unit doctors’ quarters were built, with medical consumables and facilities worth billions of naira.
“Medical devices such as suction machines, DVT compression pumps, ECG and X-ray machines procured during the APC era remain in use today, just as doctors and other health professionals were handsomely rewarded,” the statement read in part.
AMBO Media accused the Adeleke administration of neglecting existing health facilities, disengaging health workers employed under the APC government, and failing to recruit the estimated 9,000 health professionals required to bridge staffing gaps in PHCs across the state.
“Finally, the AMBO Media Fronts finds it troubling that 18 months after Dr Adekunle Akindele, Special Adviser on Health to Governor Adeleke, publicly acknowledged a shortage of health workers in the state’s hospitals, the government is yet to recruit the required professionals.
According to him, “We made our needs assessment when we came in as a government and realised that the primary healthcare centres alone require about 9,000 health workers to function efficiently and effectively, and we had done all that needed to be done to recruit in phases until the minimum wage issue came up.”
“About 9,000 health workers are needed in Osun, yet the government has not recruited a single worker to replace those sacked out of jealousy and political vendetta?
“Rather than expending energy on calling AMBO and APC leaders unprintable names, Governor Ademola Adeleke should use the remainder of his tenure to work for the people of Osun State. His performance in the last 36 months, particularly in the health sector, has been poor and uninspiring.”
The statement also criticised the state government for allegedly removing equipment from the Mother and Child Hospital at Oke-Oniti to secure accreditation for courses at the State Teaching Hospital, instead of procuring new equipment, despite claims that the government earned close to N1 trillion in revenue over three years.
