Resolve the Utilisation and Adaptation
It was a great joy for people living in Ona-Ara local government area of the pacesetter state when former Senator represented Oyo central senatorial district, Senator Teslim Kolawole Folarin facilitated a 100 beds child and mother maternity hospital to boosting the healthcare facilities within the area.
In May 2023, the three-term senator was joined by Senior Special Assistant to the former President Muhammadu Buhari on Sustainable Development Goals, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire and Chief Medical Director of University College Hospital – Ibadan, Prof. Jesse Otegbayo, to inaugurate the project. During the commissioning of the hospital, Folarin said that he facilitated the project to relief UCH – the only federal tertiary health institution in Oyo State in the area of qualitative healthcare of women and children in Oyo Central Senatorial District.
He said the; “The 100-bed Mother and Child hospital, is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities including operating theatres, recovery rooms, private and general wards, scanning room, consultation rooms and laboratory, ultra-scan machine, vacuum extractor delivery set and an Emergency Cart with full compliments. The advanced medical facility also has quarters for doctors and other medical personnel.
According to Folarin on that day, the project was made possible through the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the former President Buhari on SDGs. Therefore, for and on behalf of the good people of Oyo Central and Oyo State at large, which means the project is for people of Oyo State in general.
Since the day of this mediacal project commission, the great surprise of many residents of Ona-Ara was that, the hospital has not performed any medical functions nor open for operations. It was gathered from a reliable source that, the University College Hospital-Ibadan abandoned the hospital due to the fact that the College hospital itself has been battling with low and inadequate of staffs, medical practitioners, doctors and nurses which has not given the hopsital management the opportunity to be fully responsible to the functionality of the said hospital in Ona-Ara.
Well, my major concerns is that why such gigantic Federal Hospital in Ona-Ara should be abandoned by UCH for almost a year?. As we all know, there is a pressing need for proper healthcare facilities not only in Ona-Ara but all the neighbouring local governments and communities, there is no Federal Hospital compared to UCH within less city area of Oyo state which make it difficult for people living around this locality to have access to proper healthcare until they moved to University College Hospital [UCH] and sometimes before getting there, unfortunate situation may have occurred especially on emergency matters.
If the so call aims and objectives behind this project is to be meant, i think the possibility of the State government should raise for every process in adopting and utilizing this Hospital to cater for the healthcare needs of the people of Oyo State.
Without mincing words, it is certainly a pressing issue, the lack of adequate healthcare facilities within less city local governments area of Oyo State should be a major concern of every political office holders. Acquire and utilize of this Hospital by State government is a great idea if truly people in power really love the people they govern and not use them to play politics.
I believe strongly that turning it into a fully functional state hospital would require some investment and collaboration. The state government can reach out to both public and private healthcare organizations to explore partnership opportunities especially in the area of staffing of professional medical experts and finances.
In addition, the state government can approach some Federal government agencies, NGOs, and even corporate sponsors who might be interested in supporting the operational efficiency of the hospital.
We can’t have such a project that have economic, social and medical influences on our community and been abandoned. I am confident that if there is a meaningful dialogue between his Excellency, Governor Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde and former Senate-Leader and third-termed Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria, Oloye Teslim Kolawole Folarin on the benefits this hospital would provide for both the citizens and the State government, considering the Federal government resources that may become wasted if the hospital remain abandoned, the people of Ona-Ara and its environments will be more grateful and history will never forget botj of them.
With their combined efforts and the support of relevant stakeholders, the state government can successfully adopt and utilize this 100 bed child and mother maternity Hospital in Ona-Ara to serve the healthcare needs of the more than seven[7] local governments with over one thousand[1000] communities within.
I believe the love and passion Oloye Folarin have for his people will trigger him in considering this writeup important and acted on it as not to make his efforts on this gigantic project fruitless.
To our amiable Governor, Engr Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, as the father of our dear state, it is so important to gearup the move and call all the relevant stakeholders including the facilitator of this hospital to make the needs and expectations of the people on this hospital becomes reality.
Thank you.
Peter Oluwadamilare Felix
INSTANTnews publisher.
