AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MO STATE GOVERNOR BY THE MEDICAL AND DENTAL CONSULTANTS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (MDCAN) LAUTECH TEACHING HOSPITAL, OGBOMOSO BRANCH ON THE PERCENTAGE PAYMENT OF MONTHLY SALARIES BY OYO STATE GOVERNMENT TO ALL CATEGORIES OF WORKERS IN THE HOSPITAL. 

 

Your Excellency, 

Senator Abiola Ajimobi, 

Executive Governor of Oyo State, 

Governor's Office, 

State Secretariat, 

Ibadan, Oyo State. 

 

Dear Sir, 

Foremost, the members of this association appreciate your effort in the running of the state. Your leadership role is visible to all and sundry. It should be clearly stated that various attempts have been made to meet you through different channels to look into the challenges bedeviling Lautech Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho. All attempts made through the Management Team of the Hospital, N MA Oyo State, NMA National, and MDCAN National since 2016 did not see the light of the day. This ultimately necessitated this open letter. 

 

Lautech Teaching Hospital Ogbomoso which took off effectively from 2011 provides high quality level of medical care to citizens within and outside Oyo State. The institution has accreditation for the training of nursing students, Medical students, internship for House-officers and post graduate training for Resident Doctors in different specialties. 

It is no longer news that Lautech Teaching Hospital Ogbomoso is going through trying times with some challenges. Top on the list of these challenges is the payment of percentage salary since January 2016. This was done on account of erroneously grouping Lautech Teaching Hospital, a Tertiary health institution, with tertiary EDUCATIONAL institutions in the state. Also, it should be stated categorically that no Teaching Hospital in Nigeria can source 10% of its staff salaries internally, if not all receive full subvention for staff salaries from the government. This has gradually led to mass exodus of staff members such as Consultants, Resident Doctors, and Nurses etc. Also, this has made it impossible to attract specialist into critical areas of the institution. 

 

Furthermore, there is infrastructural deficit in the hospital which is due to failure of the contractors to either supply or install equipment already paid for and non-completion of some infrastructure. This also has affected not only the capacityto render quality care adversely; it has also affected the capacity to improve the internally sourced funds of the hospital adversely. 

 

Concerted efforts have been made to resolve the challenge of infrastructural deficit. The efforts includes self help by members of staff in cash and kind, community support and participations, donations from well-meaning members of the public, and advocacy visits to Oyo state House of Assembly and Ministry of Health Oyo State to facilitate the recovery of equipments yet to be supplied by some contractors.

 

However, we vehemently frown at the signing of memorandum of understanding with University College Hospital, Ibadan for the provision of tertiary health services in the state hospital when the state-owned tertiary institution is in a comatose state. Also, while it is laudable to upgrade a state hospital to a tertiary hospital, it should not be at the expense of an existing state-owned teaching Hospital. Lautech Teaching Hospital Ogbomosho being in a state of coma has put pressure on University College Hospita Ibadan as attested to by the Chief Medical Director of University College Hospital. Furthermore, it should be emphasized that it is disheartening that the commissioner who also is the board chairman of the hospital has treated this critical issues with levity. He has persistently complained of financial leakages in the system in which he is the head. We are emphatically saying that issues of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Ogbomosho should not be politicized as the lives of millions of people are at stake. 

 

Finally, we appeal to you as the Executive Governor and Father of all to criticallyappraise the efforts of the audit and board ofthe Hospital so far. We also urge you to save Lautech Teaching Hospital Ogbomoso from going into extinction by reversing our salaries to full and pay the 12 month arrears. 

 

This will go a long way to motivate the remaining depleted staff. Also, we will appreciate a round table discussion with your Excellency to table our grievances and suggestions. We sincerely hope that these perennial issues will be resolved amicably within the shortest possible time. 

 

We thank you, most sincerely, for your much solicited understanding, and speedy response to this patriotic call to service. 

 

Thankyou, Sir 

Long live Lautech Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho, 

Long live 0Y0 STATE, Long live NIGERIA. 

Chairman 

MDCAN LTH Ogbomosho.