Chief executives of government hospitals across Ondo State have been advised to develop viable business plans which would help in garnering funds to adequately run the several health facilities across the state without putting much pressure on the patients that seek healthcare at government facilities.
Giving this advice is the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Wahab Adegbenro who met the management at one of their business plan meetings while he made an unscheduled meeting to the State Specialist Hospital, Akure in the company of the Special Adviser on Health, Dr. Jibayo Adeyeye, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Taiye Oni and the Directors in the Ministry.
He stated that the government of the day expects a lot from the management team as they are in charge and sought their cooperation in order to keep the system of the health sector working smoothly.
While observing that a country needs a healthy people to move forward in all ramifications, the Commissioner assured the gathering that the state government is ready to do everything to ensure a healthy society.
Adegbenro then expressed the hope that their subsequent meetings will be geared towards increasing their means of generating funds in order to reduce the burden on patients.
The Commissioner during the visit, toured the various facilities at the State Specialist Hospital such as the NHIS clinic, the ear, nose and throat clinic, Antenatal ward, Male and Female Medical and Surgical wards, Morgue, the Eye Center, the Diagnostics Laboratory among others.
After the tour, the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Moses Adewole told the Commissioner about the challenges the Hospital is facing while he solicited government's support and assistance.
He listed the challenges to be poor security operations which, he claimed, has exposed his staff to assaults, obsolete equipment, transportation, overcrowding, electricity problems, buildings becoming dilapidated, being understaffed among others.
He lamented that the hospital has been neglected over the years which has made it grossly deficient and called on the state government to improve on it while he stated that if the government is keen on making any visible impact on the health sector, the state hospital will be a good place to start.
The Commissioner while responding to the comments by the CMD, commended the staff of the hospital for being active despite their challenges as he observes that a lot of activities were ongoing even when they were not aware of his plan to visit the facility.
He commented that the attitude to work was not strange as doctors were trained to work in the remotest part of the world and under the most difficult circumstances.
He promised that the state government will look into the matter as soon the economic situation in the state improves while noting that the necessary funds are not readily available.
Speaking on the issue of congestion, he said that the economic crunch has made people to seek government health facilities rather than private ones while identifying the need for expansion and getting new equipment to replace the obsolete ones.
He therefore urged the management to document the areas of the hospital that have challenges that needs to be attended to while promising that they would be addressed at the appropriate time.
The Special Adviser to the governor on health, Dr. Jibayo Adeyeye also commend the staff for sustaining the facility in spite of the challenges.
He however urged that the bushy areas and the heaps of debris at some places in the hospital be cleared so that the area can be neat.
He observed that the hospital is a Specialist Hospital which people with minor illness who should have gone to health centers still patronizes while describing it as a misuse of facility which would soon be properly addressed.
