By Desire Emmanuel
The dire situation of medical services in Oyo State was on Monday, October 20, brought to the fore when the state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) disclosed that out of the 20 general hospitals in the state, six have no doctors to attend to patients.
Chairman of the NMA in the state, Dr Happy Adedapo, who said this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), added that 10 other general hospitals have one doctor each attending to hundreds of patients.
He therefore said this alarming shortage of medical doctors across government-owned hospitals in the state needs to be urgently addressed.
He said: “Out of more than twenty general hospitals reviewed, six hospitals — Okaka, Iresa-Adu, Ikoyi-Ile, Sepeteri, Lanlate, and Ayete — currently have no doctors on ground.
“Others such as Igbeti, Igboho, Iganna, Iwere-Ile, Iseyin, Ago-Amodu, Ago-Are, Lagun, Eruwa, and Igboora each have just one doctor managing hundreds of patients.
“A few facilities, including Kisi, Okeho, and Tede, are staffed by two doctors each, while Apata General Hospital in Ibadan stands out with four doctors — the highest number recorded among the general hospitals.
“The Government House Clinic also has one doctor, while the School of Hygiene Clinic operates without any.”
According to Adedapo, in the past, every general hospital in Oyo State used to boast of between five and seven doctors unlike now that some general hospitals don’t even have any doctor.
He added that the best one could get now for a general hospital might be one, two or three for those that are fortunate.
“Those ones that have up to three or four will not be up to five hospitals in the entire Oyo State.
“The association calls on the state government to urgently look into it. LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho used to boast of about 150 doctors in the past, but now the number of doctors there are not up to 60.
“The reality is that doctors are overworked, burdened, and poorly remunerated. Though recently Governor Seyi Makinde paid a working visit to LAUTECH Ogbomosho and made promises which we are hopeful will materialise.
“The government has made some positive pronouncements for the hospital, but we still need to hear more plans for the University part,” he said .
“Moreso, the ‘japa’ scourge is also not helping matters, the government should urgently better the lots of doctors,” he added.
