The Osun State Government has denied sacking the health workers employed by the immediate past governor of the state, Gboyega Oyetola after he lost his re-election bid.
The government said instead, the health workers were asked to step aside due to procedural error of civil service rules in their recruitment process.
The Special Adviser to Governor Ademola Adeleke on Public Health, Dr. Adekunle Akindele, stated this in reaction to a publication by OSUN DEFENDER.
OSUN DEFENDER had in a report titled, ‘Dearth Of Staff Hits Osun Primary Healthcare Centres’ explained how Primary healthcare centers in the state are suffering from inadequate staffing.
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The report also noted that the state government is yet to employ health workers despite asking those employed by Oyetola to go home.
But Akindele, while reacting to the story published by OSUN DEFENDER, said the state government did not sack the health workers employed by Oyetola but only asked them to step aside to avert injecting unqualified health practitioners into the state health delivery system.
Akindele in a statement he signed on Saturday, said, “Contrary to the Headline of the Osun-based media outlet, Osun Defender, Governor Ademola Adeleke has not sacked any health workers. Those who were hurriedly engaged by the Oyetola administration in the twilight of its administration were only asked to step aside due to the procedural error of civil service rules noticed when they were hurriedly engaged.
“This is also to avert injecting unqualified health practitioners into our health delivery system in the state. It was also a means not to endanger the health of our people.
“The issue of inadequate health practitioners is not limited to Osun state. It is a national malaise, and Osun is not the worst.
“Furthermore, because of the pivotal roles of the PHCs in the healthcare delivery system, management, and maintenance of primary healthcare facilities is not left alone for the Local Government to bear, that is why the state and federal government are concurrently involved in the management of the health centers.
“We want to state emphatically that the Osun state government is equally concerned and desirous to mitigate the gaps to a manageable extent, and hence, few of the Imole Youth Corps that are highly qualified are to be engaged in the PHCs to ameliorate the situation and serve as a stop-gap arrangement for now. More health workers will soon be enlisted into the health sector delivery system of the state.”
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
