Posted on: Thu 03-11-2016

ADVICE TO THE STATE GOVERNMENT: LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Ogbomoso poised to take health care in Oyo state to the frontiers of internationally acceptable and reproducible health standards was established five years ago. She has strived over the years to live up to the name and status inspite of the encumbrances.

LTH Ogbomoso in less than five years has put Oyo State on the world map with respect to ground breaking researches, internationally practiced medical and surgical treatment procedures as well as citizen-acquainted service delivery. Some of the landmarks have been the recent commencement of Laparoscopic Surgery in the hospital with success record; the hospital strives to maintain world acclaimed teaching and service delivery despite the inadequacies of lack of delivery as well as installation of delivered equipment. We had hoped that these undaunted efforts by the staff of the hospital would meet with encouragement from the Oyo state government but this has not been the case.

Up till this moment residency training has not been funded by the state government and this negates the tenets of the establishment of residency training in the hospital as the right commitment by hospital management and state government involves payment for examinations, update, revision and management courses as well as research grants for each category of resident doctors involved.         

Dental building and other structures in the hospital necessary for our postgraduate academic and clinical training are uncompleted.  Magnetic resonance imaging MRI, which has already been paid for is yet to be delivered despite promise of delivery. Fluoroscopy alongside static X-ray that have been delivered have not been installed. The large capacity dam as well is yet to be completed. These projects will increase the IGR of the hospital if completed but to our dismay their completion is yet to materialise especially in this era of drive for increased internally generated revenue.

Salary paid has been in fraction even before the recent decision to single us out amidst all hospitals under Oyo state for payment of 50% of our salaries from January till April 2016 salary (which we got last week). The hitherto fractionated salary is not the same as that obtainable in federal teaching hospitals and this difference is in sharp contrast to the edict establishing the hospital stating same payment as obtainable in federal teaching hospitals.

Forcing the hospital to generate fifty percent of her revenue to us is a deliberate attempt to increase the suffering of the masses as well as make health service delivery totally unreachable and unaffordable to the teeming populace as the hospital is being made to increase service care delivery in geometric proportions and as such deny people health care with this leading to increase in maternal, neonatal, perinatal as well as under five mortality that are yardsticks for development both at the state and national. 

We shall continue to advise the state government against such decisions that will ultimately harm rather than help the good people of Oyo state and Nigeria. We call on traditional rulers, religious leaders, policy makers, political leaders and stakeholders to prevail on the state government to pay our full salaries with its outstanding as well as reverse fully  with concomitant payment of accruable arrears( January to April 2016) the recent decision to pay half salary. Also the state government should be prevailed upon to complete all outstanding facilities, structures as well as delivery and installation of all equipment as these will ensure continued delivery of affordable, accessible and acceptable health care being cornerstones to achieving the save a million lives drive by the federal government.,

Long Live LTH Ogbomoso

Long Live Oyo State

Long Live Nigeria

Signed:      Dr Sebastine Oiwoh President

Dr Ayobami Alabi General Secretary

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