Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has raised the alarm over the increasing vandalisation of newly renovated Primary Healthcare Centres across the state, calling on traditional rulers to take ownership of these vital community facilities.
Speaking at a briefing session with the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers recently, Governor Adeleke expressed concern over the destruction of solar panels and water supply systems at the PHCs, warning that such acts undermine his administration’s efforts to improve healthcare access, especially for pregnant women and nursing mothers.
The governor called on the traditional rulers to safeguard the facilities in order to prevent further vandalisation.
Emphasising that PHCs play a critical role in delivering quality healthcare at the grassroots level, he indicated that all services in these centres are free.
Addressing the monarchs including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, Adeleke said, “Permit me to alert our royal fathers about reported cases of vandalisation of newly renovated primary health care centres.
“I remind our fathers that they have a responsibility to take ownership of the PHCs within their communities. Issue of vandalisation of the solar panels and water supply in our PHCs is becoming rampant. I urge traditional rulers to keep watch over our PHCs to forestall such occurrences.”
He urged the royal fathers to encourage their subjects, particularly pregnant women and nursing mothers, to take advantage of the healthcare services available to them.
“Healthcare is a fundamental right, and my administration is committed to making sure every citizen has access to quality medical services.
“But we cannot do it alone. Community leaders must help in ensuring these facilities are protected and utilised effectively.
“I equally enjoin our traditional rulers to encourage our people, most especially pregnant women and nursing mothers, to uptake quality healthcare for better health outcomes. PHC is one of the strategies to achieve the agenda of this administration on health, being the closest to the people, and all services at the PHCs are free,” the governor asserted.
The concern over destruction of the healthcare centres came few days after the state government cautioned the reinstated local government chairmen on the platform of the All Progressives Congress against intimidating health workers through illegal visits to PHCs and disruption of medical services.
The government has maintained that no local government official has the authority to inspect or interfere with the operations of Osun PHCs without express approval from the Primary Healthcare Board in Osogbo.
The Special Adviser on Public Health to Governor Adeleke, Akindele Adekunle, in a statement, had accused APC local government chairmen of creating an atmosphere of insecurity around PHCs by moving around with armed thugs to create an atmosphere of fear and insecurity.
While condemning the visits, the government explained that “any genuine inquiry regarding healthcare administration should be directed to the appropriate authorities and not through unlawful, politically motivated intrusions.”
“We have received credible reports that one of the illegal chairmen, Mr. Lanre Balogun from Ilesa East Local Government, on Wednesday, conducted an unauthorized so-called “working visit” to several Public Health Centres, including Okeoye PHC (Ward 8), Irojo PHC (Ward 9), Okesa PHC (Ward 7), Ilemo PHC (Ward 4), and Ijamo PHC (Ward 5).
“We want to make it abundantly clear that Osun people must hold these APC operatives accountable for any harm inflicted on our healthcare workers or disruption of medical services. The state government will not fold its arms while political desperadoes put the lives of innocent citizens at risk.”
Reacting to the development, the director of media and information of the APC in Osun State, Kola Olabisi, had said the needless alarm raised by Adeleke’s Special Adviser on Public Health, indicated that the government had no respect for the rule of law and pained by the Court of Appeal recent judgment, which reinstated councils’ chairmen elected on the platform of the party.
Olabisi in a statement said, “We are not bothered that you mischievously described the councilors that accompanied the executive chairman to the project as ‘thugs’ to call a dog a bad name to hang it.
“We are not undaunted by the Adeleke man’s false alarm as his lies, as usual, could neither fly nor sit because of their unreliability. Dr Adekunle should learn how to live with the reinstated local government council chairmen across the state as he would live to witness more of such supervision of the government projects by them across the state,” he had added.