Medical doctors in Osun state under the aegis of Osun State Association of Medical and Dental Officers (OSAMDO) have appealed to the state governor, Rauf Aregbesola, to improve on the healthcare delivery system in the state.

In a statement issued in Osogbo on Thursday which was signed by its chairman, Dr. Oloyede Subair, its General Secretary, Dr. Olawale Fatai Dauda and the Publicity Secretary, Dr. Olufemi Oroge, the doctors said the health infrastructures in the state were decaying terribly.

They expressed worry that the governor has not pay attention to the health sector in the state, thus exposing the lives of the downtrodden masses to serious health danger.

The statement reads: “Investments have been misdirected at capital projects that have benefitted only contractors and not the patients that come to these hospitals. Basic equipment for diagnosis and treatment has remained obsolete and indeed largely unavailable.

“What sets a hospital apart from a hotel is the equipment in place and the quality of man power. It is these two that have been grossly neglected in the state! None of the State Hospitals has facilities for oxygen delivery in the emergency units, let alone defibrillators, which are mere complements of a standard ambulance.

“It has gotten so bad that methylated spirits, antiseptic lotions and syringes have become very rare commodities in our hospitals! This though should not be surprising as 2013 was the last time the state government stocked the hospitals with essential drugs.”

OSAMDO also lamented that doctors, nurses and other health workers are grossly inadequate in hospitals in the state adding that the situation is getting worse.

It states further: “As we speak, there are far less than a hundred doctors employed in the state civil service to take care of the over four million population of the state.  These few doctors are spread over some 56 secondary health facilities. The implication is that many of these facilities do not have one doctor in the least!

“The state hospitals are however expected to have not less than 30 doctors each to function optimally. Many of these facilities cannot run round the clock because they do not have the required complement of staff to do so. How then can people get the kind of care they deserve from such a system?

“Against all known labour laws and without consulting the Nigeria Medical Association in the state or other body of doctors, the state government began to mutilate the wages of our members by paying them 50% or less of their wages."