The Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, has cried out over the deteriorating health facilities in government-owned hospitals across Ondo State, and called for an urgent action by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
Urging the governor to pay unscheduled visits to public hospitals statewide to directly witness the worrisome deterioration of facilities there, the union asked him to declare a state of emergency on the lamentable situation with a view to redeeming the lapses.
The union lamented that patients seeking to access healthcare at public hospitals in the state are going through traumatic experiences.
Particularly, it alerted the governor that contrary to the expected schedule of teaching medical students and offering healthcare to the needy at reasonable costs, caskets are on display and being sold within the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, UNIMED, complex, Akure
The union disclosed these in a communique at the end of its Ondo State Council monthly Congress in Akure.
In the communique signed by Jacob Akintunde, Olayinka Ogunleye and Babatunde Ayedoju, and the council’s secretary, Comrade Olaoluwa Meshack, the union said that indeed, the caskets’ showroom is located inside the hospital’s morgue opposite its Outpatient Department.
Decrying the psychological trauma of the display and sales of caskets within the hospital on patients hoping for recovery, but not death, after treatment, the union lamented:
“The Congress noted with empathy the degenerating health facilities across the state, and the trauma of patients in accessing quality and affordable health services; calling on the state Governor to declare a State Of Emergency on the state health sector.
“Ondo NUJ notes with dismay the flagrant and public sales of coffins/caskets at the premises of the UNIMEDTH mortuary directly opposite the OutPatient Department (OPD), and close to the Emergency Unit of the UNIMED Teaching Hospital, and called on the state government to urgently order the relocation of the caskets shop by a private operator from the hospital to save psychology meltdown among patients.”
Meanwhile, the union was satisfied with what it called Aiyedatiwa’s swift response to the recent security challenges in the state, especially the setting up of a joint security task force.
It however urged the state government to provide security agencies, including the state security network, codenamed Amotekun Corps, with necessary vehicles, drones, trackers and other logistics to enable them to combat crimes effectively.
Also, it commended the governor for approving the recruitment of teachers for primary and secondary schools in the state, as it urged teachers’ deployment to fill up the worrisome vacancies in the rural areas.
