EKSUTH hails Oyebanji for increasing monthly subvention by N150m

Workers at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) Ado-Ekiti have commended Governor Biodun Oyebanji for his gesture to increase the monthly subvention to the hospital from N261 million to N411 million.

The workers under the auspices of Inter-Allied Forum, compromising all unions in EKSUTH noted that the decision of the governor to increase the subvention at this period would in no small measure reduce the brain drain being witnessed in the hospital.

Addressing newsmen at the weekend in Ado-Ekiti, alongside other members of the Forum, the leader of the forum, Dr Famous Adeyemi lamented that the institution had suffered over the years due to the failure of successive governments to increase the subvention.

Adeyemi, who is the president of Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) explained that present administration under Governor Oyebanji has demonstrated its commitment to the improvement of healthcare services to the citizens, especially the downtrodden.

He argued that the subvention would help the hospital meet its crucial obligations of staff welfare and provision of health infrastructures and equipment towards delivering quality services to the patients.

According to him, due to the failure of past governments to focus attention on the hospital in terms of subvention, many members of staff had gone abroad or to other competing institutions in the country in search of greener pastures.

He commended the chairman of Board of EKSUTH, Dr Adebanjo Dada, and the Chief Medical Director, Dr Kayode Olabanji for their support and commitment to the growth and development of the teaching hospital.

Adeyemi said, “The increase of the subvention from the previous N261 million to N411 million will no doubt change the face of things in EKSUTH, especially in the area of welfare of workers and improve infrastructures.

“The hospital has suffered a lot in the past due to insufficient subvention, which resulted in number of our colleagues leaving the institution for abroad or to other teaching hospitals who have better packages and infrastructure than us.

“But we want to appreciate and commend Governor Biodun Oyebanji for his commitment and dedication to the health sector, to helping us deliver quality healthcare services to the people of Ekiti state.

“You will agree with me that not everybody can afford the services at private hospitals. It is the public ones that can give the citizens the access they need to healthcare.

“The poorest of the poor must have access to quality and affordable healthcare and that is what I think the government of Oyebanji is trying to achieve with the recent increase in the subvention.

“With the challenges of brain drain and japa syndrome, it is obvious this gesture of government will ultimately address it because those people left due to poor welfare and infrastructure.”

To address the cases of assault on members and agitations by patients, he revealed that the management and the workers are doing everything possible to reduce waiting time of patients in the facility and as well improve security presence in and around the institution.

Speaking, the chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, EKSUTH chapter, Comfort Monde commended the state government for the increase in the subvention which she said would serve as motivation for the workers in giving their best for the system.

She called on the legislature to enact a law that would enable successive administrations to give priority to the subvention monthly in order for the institution to deliver on its mandate of providing healthcare services to the citizens.