From Fisayo Akinduro, Osogbo

Governments at all levels have been charged to deploy community health workers to rural areas in order to improve healthcare delivery.
A public health physician, Dr Olubukunola Omobuwa gave the advice during the maiden graduation ceremony of College of Health Science and Technology in Ido-Osun, Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun.
She described as inadequate the number of community health workers in rural communities in the country.
While speaking on the theme: “Role of Community Health Practitioners in National Development”, Omobuwa said that government needed to provide incentives to health workers, such as rural allowances, to make them willing to work in rural areas.
“Government should give rural allowances to encourage more workers at the rural communities.
“The shortage of manpower as well as medical equipment at the primary health centres at the rural areas is unacceptable and government must urgently address this.
“They are still many people at the rural areas who do not have access to basic health care due to lack of medical personnel and equipment”, Omobuwa said.
Earlier in his remarks, the Provost of the College, Dr Muideen Jimoh, said 50 of the graduands were conferred with various certificates.
Jimoh said 41 of the graduands were conferred Health Assistants certificates, three with Health Assistant certificates with option in religious and traditional medicine and six with Health Technician certificates.
He urged the graduands to be good ambassadors of the college wherever they find themselves.
Also speaking, Alhaji Biola Lawal, a member of the Governing Council of the College, urged government to invest more in the youths through creation of job opportunities.
Lawal said it was sad that many graduates were roaming around without decent jobs.
He said the establishment of the college should be an eye opener for the government to give the institution proper recognition in its quest at training community health workers to bridge the gap.