EDITORIAL: Back From Ukraine

Out of the State of Osun, there is often a lot of positive new development with due acknowledgment to the Roman Emperor Pleiny. A good instance here is the enthrallment with which the news of the return of 35 out of the 85 medical students who were sponsored by Ukraine University for the completion of their studies by Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration has been received from within and outside of the state.

Expectedly, kudos has been given by the beneficiaries, their parents and sincere well-wishers.

They returned home after graduating from the V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Kharkiv, Ukraine as certified medical doctors.

About 15 of the medical students stayed back in Ukraine for further pursuit.

It would be recalled that 50 of the 85 UNIOSUN students recently graduated and were inducted as qualified medical doctors after passing the 2017 KROK 2 Ukraine National Medical Exams, in June this year.

The UNIOSUN students were sent to Ukraine by the Aregbesola administration to complete their medical studies in Ukraine in 2013 as a result of non-availability of teaching hospital for their clinical studies, as it is one of the required facilities for training as a qualified medical practitioner.

We have to put this tremendous advance into context. This commendable exercise took place during a time of excruciatingly difficult fiscal conditions. Ogbeni Aregbesola and his administration frankly had every sensible reason not to have initiated it in the first place, but owing to his rational thought as a Governor and a father, he deems it fit as the best thing to do which he did. And now, for this reason, this initiative has left an indelible imprint not only in his history but that of the state and the students.

Producing more doctors will help to improve the health sector. For these reasons, this newspaper cannot but commend the administration of Ogbeni Aregbesola for its vigor in implementing a vital element of the social contract.