Leadership tussle killing Nigeria’s health sector – Adewole

Leadership tussle killing Nigeria’s health sector – Adewole
By: Oladele Adedayo, Ado-Ekiti.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole has identified leadership tussle in the Federal Health institutions in the country as major impediment against progress in the sector.
Adewole stated this on at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti (FETHI) while commissioning 12 projects initiated and completed by the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Majekodunmi Ayodele.
The Minister warned the medical personnel that the sordid scenarios are killing the sector and reducing its quality.
According to him “those engaging in the fuelling of crises in federal health institutions are those fighting to replace the present occupier of the seats of CMDs. But I want to warn that they should wait for their time”.
The Minister said: “It is unfortunate that our national hospitals are better known for strikes rather than services.
The human factor is the most important, we should learn to put services above all other considerations in our agitations as medical practitioners because some of the cases I have handled in recent time were more of how to get more pay and not about commitment”, he said.
The Professor of Gynecology however disclosed that 60 million poor Nigerians will enjoy unfettered medical care under President Muhammadu Buhari’s government within the next two years.
He said President Buhari is determined to alleviate the sufferings of all Nigerians who contributed to his victory at the poll in the area of health by fortifying both the primary and secondary health institutions.
“The tertiary institutions are not meant to treat malaria or skin rashes, but to attend to critical issues. We are determined to take away over 70% of patients from the teaching hospitals, but the heads of tertiary institutions must find a way to relate freely with these cadres for effective healthcare delivery.
“We won’t abandon that cadre, so that the sequence of referral could be protected”.
The Minister added that 10,000 primary health facilities will be built in the 774 local government areas across the country for effective service delivery to the people and to decongest the tertiary institutions.
Commending the CMD for his giant strides in the hospital, Prof. Adewole said: “What is symbolic about today is that we are commissioning 12 projects through the partnership and Memorandum of Understanding this hospital signed with Afe Babalola University.
“I want to thank Aare Afe Babalola for his investment not only in education, but also in this hospital”.
Dr. Ayodele who assured the agitated workers that all their dues will be paid, appealed to the Ministry of Health to grant the request for the payment of take off grants to the hospital as a former medical centre and for its new status as a teaching hospital.
Governor Ayo Fayose, who was represented by the Speaker, Hon. Kola Oluwawole and Chief Babalola, urged the hospital’s management to find a ways of ensuring industrial harmony in the hospital.
They however appealed to the Doctors, Nurses and other paramedical personnel to search their conscience and refrain from agitating for pay, even while on strike, describing the scenario as morally wrong.