Adeleke Laments Brain Drain In Osun Health Sector

 

• Your Lamentation Hypocritical – APC

OSUN State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has said the dwindling number of medical experts in the health sector of the state calls for concern of all stakeholders.

Adeleke expressed his concern at the 9th Annual International Oncology Multidisciplinary Team Symposium organized by the Department of Surgery, Faculty of Clinical Science, College of Health Science, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, on Tuesday.

The Governor, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Public Health, Dr. Akindele Adekunle, reiterated his readiness to support any innovative ideas that can stem the wave of increasing cancer-related diseases in Nigeria.

He commended the surgeons, medical specialists and oncologists for being life-savers and contributing immensely to the sustenance of humanity by discharging their duties and responsibilities.

The Governor said: “It is an interesting time for surgical oncologists in the country and especially in our dear state. The rate of cancer related cases, as you must be aware, is becoming troubling and more troubling is the dwindling number of experts in the medical field to combat the menace.

“Going by the experience of the state government in the recent medical outreach initiated by our government, in which about 55,000 Nigerians in Osun State have benefitted, we cannot but begin to raise a toast to our doctors, especially the surgeons — to pay tribute to them, for your painstaking lane of service to humanity.

“Many who have resigned to fate of early grave were revitalised through surgical interventions performed by our valuable medical officers,

“ Many have unconsciously played around with life-threatening lumps until some of your colleagues came to their surgical aid through our government support and bailed them out of their helplessness.

“ Therefore, if the state government was able to achieve the target goals so far in the medical outreach or even to do more in days to come in the health sector, it is because we are standing on your shoulders.

“Osun State government under our healthcare agenda, would leave no stone unturned to partner with life-saving institutions like this great body, to breathe life to dying cells.”

Reacting to Adeleke concern, the state chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) called the Governor to order, adding that his lamentation over the dwindling number of health workers in the state is hypocritical.

In a statement signed by the State Chairman of the APC, Tajudeen Lawal, on Wednesday, the party said the Adeleke’s inhuman policy has been the reason for the dearth of medical personnel in the state.

APC stated that Adeleke was not being truthful on the real cause of the scarcity of healthcare workers in government establishments in the state.

The statement partly reads: “As long as Adeleke is hell-bent on politicising the health sector, just like other sectors in the state, the challenges associated with them would never abate.

“Adeleke cannot feign ignorance of the fact that hundreds of the healthcare workers in the state had also resigned their appointments for fear of the unknown and sought greener pastures abroad.

“All the entreaties of the eminent stakeholders in the state to the governor to reconsider the plight of the maliciously sacked state health workers fell on the deaf ear of the governor on the excuse that the state government has no resources to pay them.

“There is no government that is worth its salt that will afford to play politics with the health sector just the way and manner that Governor Adeleke’s administration has been doing.

“Adeleke should carry his lamentation over the poor healthcare status in the state to the marine as it grossly lacks genuineness. I see it as a mere smokescreen to serve as a false concern.”

• Yusuf Oketola