NIP, AAC gov candidates parley NMA, promise improved health facilities

The gubernatorial candidate of the National Interest Party (NIP)in Oyo State, Mrs Bolanle Sarumi-Aliyu has said the health of the vulnerable people will be its priority if elected into office.

Sarumi-Aliyu who spoke at a third interactive session of NMA members with Oyo State gubernatorial candidates in Ibadan On Wednesday said its major focus on health was to ensure every citizen of Oyo state, regardless of tribe and religion lives good lives.

Sarunmi-Aliyu said lack of medical personnel, unpaid doctors, the absence of drugs and medical equipment were some of the challenges of the health sector which would be tackled through adequate budgetary allocation to health

According to her, “What the government of the day is budgeting or health is ridiculous, yearly capital expenditure for road construction is far above for health.

“So, I Intend to increase budgetary allocation to health for the next 4 years should be between 15 and 25 per cent. You cannot continue to have less than 3 per cent health budgetary allocation for the whole state and expect the health system to work.”

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Sarumi-Aliyu said a state biometric enumeration will also be carried out to ensure the government know and adequately plan to meet the needs of the people.

She added that a policy to treat all emergency cases before payments across all government hospital will be implemented, likewise functional PHC centres.

Earlier, African Action Congress (AAC) in Oyo State, Mr Akinwale Omololu Laosun in engagement with doctors said he intends to restore the state’s hospital to good standards.

He promised highly subsided medical or free health care for children and pregnant women as part of a measure to improve the health index of the state.

Laosun, assuring that doctors and other professional bodies with brilliant minds will be engaged in improving the state’s health sector, said the disparity in salaries of national and state health workers will also be corrected to check brain drain in the health sector.

While it will embark on statewide training of health workers to create efficiency and effectiveness, he urged the doctors to ensure that they vote for the right governorship candidate.

Chairman, Oyo Nigerian Medical Association, Dr Akin Sodipo stated that the association was not endorsing any political party, adding “we are only bringing the political parties to talk to doctors and for them go back and vote based on their conscience.”