The Ondo State Government has strongly dismissed allegations by the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) claiming that the state’s healthcare system has collapsed. The government labeled these assertions as unfounded and misleading.
In response to a statement from PDP’s State Publicity Secretary, Kennedy Peretei, which criticized Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s administration for mismanaging the health sector, Comrade Allen Sowore, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Strategic Communication, asserted that the healthcare system is functioning efficiently.
Sowore praised the dedication and expertise of the state’s healthcare professionals, highlighting Ondo’s significant achievements in emergency preparedness and its effective responses to epidemic-prone diseases, including COVID-19, Lassa Fever, Cholera, and Mpox.
“Our doctors, pharmacists, lab technicians, and other healthcare professionals are doing an outstanding job and deserve our support, not the baseless vilification by the PDP,” Sowore stated.
He clarified that the government has approved salary upgrades for medical staff, with Grade Levels (GL) 13 and 10 set as entry points for doctors and nurses, contrary to the outdated salary scales cited by the PDP.
Sowore outlined several achievements in Ondo’s healthcare sector, including:
- Full payment of hazard allowances and implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) for doctors.
- Construction of new surgical and medical wards at the Mother & Child Hospital in Akure.
- Establishment of a new oxygen plant at the State Specialist Hospital in Okitipupa.
- Creation of the Ondo State Contributory Health Commission, aimed at achieving universal health coverage for all residents.
He also noted the success of the “Abiyamo Maternal and Child Insurance Scheme,” benefiting over 46,741 residents, and the “Orange Health Insurance” scheme, which covers over 101,017 public servants and their dependents, with over 460 surgeries already performed.
Additionally, Sowore announced the recent approval by the State Executive Council to renovate primary healthcare facilities in all 203 wards across the state, improving security, accommodation, power supply, and water resources.
Sowore accused the PDP of being disconnected from the state’s positive developments, focusing on unfounded criticisms while overlooking the tangible progress made in the health sector.
“Governor Aiyedatiwa is committed to continuously improving healthcare facilities and service delivery, and his dedication to the well-being of Ondo residents is evident in the numerous initiatives already in place,” Sowore concluded.