Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State is yet to visit the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, in more than. 6 years.
Revealing this was the leadership of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association, MDCAN.
This is just as the association raised the alarm over the mass resignation of consultants, resident doctors in training and nurses at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology University Teaching, Ogbomoso.
The Chairman, MDCAN, Dr. Afolabi Salawu, who said this in a statement made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Tuesday, blamed the situation on poor funding of the hospital by the Oyo State Government.
The MDCAN stated that the teaching hospital, which was established by the administration of former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, might become extinct if there was no urgent intervention from the government to reverse the trend.
The consultants said the teaching hospital was set up as a model, adding that if completed, it would be one of the leading hospitals in Nigeria, but the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Ogbomoso had remained far from that due to the non-completion of many projects and non-supply of some equipment to the health facility.
The statement read in part, “Despite this exceptional dedication, commitment and financial sacrifice by staff and some Oyo State indigenes, who have come to our aid to complete some abandoned projects in the hospital, our governor has yet to visit the hospital and have an on-the-spot assessment. The government only relies on stories by enemies of Oyo State, who malign the hospital as being a wasteful project.
“The government of Oyo State is now planning to close down the hospital and cut subvention to the hospital in January 2016. Also, all categories of workers have been subjected to between 28 per cent and 50 per cent salary till date and the last salary paid was that of August 2017 as of November 30, 2017. Several efforts have been made to appeal to the governor to reverse this anomaly as all other health institutions in Oyo State are receiving full salary and subvention.”
They added, “The aftermath of this action of government has led to massive brain drain in the hospital with an exodus of young consultants trained by the LTH. Many senior consultants too have left. Also, residents in training and a large number of nurses have also been absorbed by other institutions.
“It is with dismay that we receive the news that despite the massive brain drain already happening, the government of Oyo State has completed plans to further downsize the hospital from a teaching hospital to a state-owned general hospital without the full complements of a teaching, specialised services and research component of the present institution.”
The doctors called on the indigenes of Oyo State and the traditional rulers in the state to appeal to Governor Abiola Ajimobi to rescind the alleged plan to downgrade the teaching hospital to a state hospital.
