Health Matters: Residents Hail Osun Govt For Preventing Health Emergencies

FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

As the administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is slowly coming to an end, the people of the State of Osun have lauded the state government for the many strides it has achieved in the public health sector in the state.

While not giving the administration 100 per cent on its score card, there were high praises to the government for its welfarist policies in the health sector and also for its proactiveness in ensuring that there was no outbreak of any health epidemic and emergencies in the state health’s sector.

A cross section of residents lauded health programmes like care of the aged (Agba Osun), O’Ambulance, the establishment of the state teaching hospital and training of medical students in Ukraine, free treatment for mother and child, as well as the state’s participation in different immunization exercises with the backing of international donor organizations and the federal government.

Such other programmes are, introduction of the state health insurance scheme, establishment of the State of Osun Primary Health Care Development Board and others.

The residents also outlined the shortcomings of the government which included the incessant industrial actions in the health sector involving resident doctors, medical and health workers, inadequate manpower, poor power supply and shortage of hospitals and health centres.

The consensus is that even as the administration is hitting the home run, there have been relative improvements in the health sector and the level of health management before the Aregbesola’s administration has now improved tremendously.

The introduction of the O’Ambulance scheme, it was revealed is the game changer in the health sector as medical emergencies and people giving up the ghost before getting to a nearby medical facility became a thing of the past.

One of the respondents, Chief Abiola Adebayo said, with the dial of O’Ambulance emergency response lines, its personnel are quick to the rescue, saying, “with this work ethic and mentality; many accident victims, sick people and pregnant women had the opportunity of receiving fast first aid before receiving quality health care at any hospital of their choice”.

The respondents also commended the state government for embarking on renovation of the nine state hospitals during its first term in office.

Before the renovation of the state hospitals, quality of healthcare was low but the Aregbesola administration through its comprehensive plan for health care which is entrenched in the six-points integral action plan has reversed the situation to a reasonable extent.

Also, it was revealed that during the Ebola, Lassa Fever and Monkey Pox epidemics that ravaged and is continually ravaging some parts of the country, the administration of Ogbeni Aregbesola was proactive enough to establish crisis response centre to deal with any outbreak in the state.

Kudos was also given to the state government for declaring a 90 day environmental state of emergency on inception in November 2010, a move which they revealed was crucial in preventing outbreak of epidemics in the state.