Community healthcare development: Ijesa indigenes establish second geriatric centre in Nigeria

The dream of illustrious sons and daughters of Ijesaland, home and in the Diaspora, to make the community a haven of healthcare has been realised with the inauguration of a N1 billion modern geriatric centre in Ilesa for the benefit of Ijesaland and Osun State in general.

The centre, which is the second of its kind in Nigeria, located in Ilesa town, Osun State, was inaugurated by the state governor, Mr Gboyega Oyetola, Thursday last week.

At the inauguration ceremony, Governor Oyetola expressed satisfaction with the contributions of Ijesa indigenes towards the healthcare development of the state.

According to him, the establishment of the centre, which is primarily meant to take care of elders’ health in the state, will enhance the life expectancy of the senior citizens.

He said: “Considering our nation’s growing population in the absence of adequate medical care for our senior citizens, this project is well thought out. It is a welcome development as it will give our senior citizens access to medical care where they can interact with health care professionals with dignity. I consider this project absolutely complementary to my administration’s health sector revitalisation efforts in the state.”

The project initiator, the Asiwaju of Ijesaland, Chief Olayinka Fasuyi, attributed the successful completion of the centre to God and the cooperation of other illustrious sons and daughters of Ijesaland, home and abroad, who shared the vision with him and contributed to ensuring its accomplishment within the speculated time.

The completion of the project, Chief Fasuyi said, could not have been possible without the support he received from some groups of people and individuals in Ijesaland.

He said: “There are some groups of people and individuals who displayed high sense of responsibility and committed their resources to the project. The first group is the highly esteemed compatriot Ijesa elders, daughters and sons of the land who have written their individual and family names in gold. I will forever remember MedShare, a national non-profit organisation, which ensured the procurement of the medical equipment for the effective take-off of the centre.

“Although being the chairman of the project management team is just a privilege by the grace of God, I hold all the team members in high esteem for their exemplary leadership and team cooperation during the project execution process.

“Similarly, I acknowledge the indelible impact of the Monitoring and Evaluation Committee, Project Technical Advisory Committee, Project Consultant, Board and Management of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, as well as the special contributions of Ijesa women to making the project become a reality.

“The social, economic, education and health is wealth projects ongoing in Ijesaland were achievable through the concerted efforts of the sons and daughters of the land, driven by unity of purpose.”

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Olufemi Olowookere, a consultant family physician, one of the project technical advisory committee members, commended the people of Ijesaland for investing their resources in the healthcare of old people in the society.

According to Dr Olowookere, the centre is adequately equipped to meet the old people’s needs in all aspects. He urged the providers not to relent in their support for the sustenance and growth of the centre. He implored the state government to replicate the centre across the state to meet the healthcare needs of the growing number of old people in the country.

The head nurse of the centre, Mrs Fausat Salau, said she was impressed by the standard of the centre, describing it as a special hospital for the old people from age 60 and above

According to Mrs Salau, the centre is endowed with all necessary equipment “you can ever find in any teaching hospital in the country with excellent health service.”

She said: “The centre is patient-friendly with experienced medical personnel drawn from the Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital. We welcome elders in the society to make use of the centre.”

Speaking in the same vein, Dr Akintayo Familusi, a consultant family physician, described the centre as a wonderful initiative that is hard to find in any part of the country in terms of its facilities.

According to him, the centre is structured in a way that doctors can attend to a large number of old people at a time without stress. He described the equipment at the centre as topnotch. While assuring the community of the readiness of the medical personnel to serve them, he urged the ijesa community to patronise and support the centre for its sustenance.

The Chief Medical Director of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, Professor Adebayo, Adetiloye, while appreciating the donors of the centre led by Asiwaju Fasuyi, stated that the need for good-spirited individuals, groups and private sector to keep contributing to the cause of humanity could not be overemphasised in the interest of nation building.

Dr Akin Moses, a member of the Project Technical Advisory Committee and Chief Oladiran Fasuyi-Enange, who spoke on behalf of the community, stated that the commissioning of the geriatric centre marked another milestone in the history of Ijesaland.

They commended the state government for its support towards the success of the project. They noted that the increasing population of older people in the society informed the decision of the donors to build the centre. They appealed to all and sundry in Ijesaland to see the centre as the property of the community with all readiness to preserve the centre for the next generation.

The Elegboro of Ijebu-Jesa, Oba Moses Oluwafemi Agunsoye Abikehin-Ekun Agunsoye II, eulogised the sons and daughters of Ijesaland, home and abroad, for their commitment to the development of the Ijesaland. He described the centre as a welcome development.

He said the centre would serve the entire Ijesaland and the whole state, adding that all hands must be on deck to ensure its sustenance and growth.

“Asiwaju Olayinka Fasuyi, the Balogun of Ijebu-Jesaland, has proved his worth as a visionary and assiduous Nigerian that God gave to Ijesaland to move the ancient land forward together with his contemporaries and senior colleagues who share the same vision with him on the development of Ijesaland.

Meanwhile, the Owa Obokun and paramount ruler of Ijesaland, Oba (Dr) Gabriel Aromolaran II, who poured encomiums on all Ijesa community members for their initiative that gave birth to the second geriatric centre in Nigeria, stated that the development would go a long way in increasing the life expectancy of people in Ijesaland and beyond.

While appreciating the initiator of the project, Asiwaju Fasuyi, and the project management team for a job well done, Oba Aromolaran wished every Ijesa person to embrace and sustain the spirit of developmental agenda that would lift the land from poverty to prosperity and to generational wealth.

Asiwaju Fasuyi declared that the ongoing socio-economic, education and health care development in Ijesaland was achievable through the concerted efforts of all Ijesa sons and daughters.