By Kemi Olatunde

The Ondo State Government has commenced the rehabilitation of Primary Health Centers across the State as part of efforts to provide adequate, affordable, and quality healthcare services to all residents of the State.

The Special Adviser to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State on Health, Prof. Simidele Odimayo, said that government is working on health facilities in the State, including the Akure complex of UNIMED teaching hospital which according to him is on the verge of being handled over to the Federal Government as Teaching Hospital.

Odimayo, who led a team of doctors from the Ministry of Health on a visit to the premises of the UNIMED Teaching Hospital (Akure Annex), highlighted the transformative efforts of Governor Aiyedatiwa’s administration in prioritizing healthcare services delivery.

It would be recalled that the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) had, at the end of its March congress, expressed displeasure over the deteriorating health facilities across the State and the challenges patients face in accessing quality healthcare.

The union also described the situation, where caskets are sold directly opposite the Out-Patient Department (OPD) and close to the Emergency Unit, as insensitive and psychologically distressing for patients and their families.

Speaking with journalists on the development, Odimayo said; “Now that we have been informed about what is happening, we have responded appropriately, and we would continue with our investigation so that we don’t have unexpected things happening within the system.

“The new building we have here is about 95 percent completed; we have new developments coming up within the hospital daily; we have so many fantastic structures here, and as you know, the teaching hospital is already in the process of being transferred to the Federal Government.

“So we feel that if we can complete it, at least to 95 percent, it can be available for us to move the patients and equipment that we need inside.

“Government is committed, and we are making more efforts to give quality healthcare services to the people of the State.

“We have almost 2000 staff within the hospital. This is an open government, so we want to make sure that everything works well in the state.”

The Acting Chief Medical Director of hospital, Dr. Adesina Akintan, dismissed the allegations stating that there was no sale of caskets within the hospital premises, particularly near the Outpatient Department (OPD) or Emergency Unit.

Akintan said, “We are not asking patients to be sleeping outside; we just constructed an extension around the Emergency Unit here with all the necessary equipment for patients because of the ongoing renovation of wards.

“We always have congestion of patients and we have to attend to them at the same time.

“This is the busiest hospital in the state with patients, and that is why the government is making efforts to have a new spacious building within the hospital for us to attend to more patients with better efficiency.”