AMBO Media knocks Adeleke over alleged decay in Osun health sector
By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –
AMBO Media Front, a support group affiliated with Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, has criticised 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.
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.
