‘Only seven doctors work in 131 health centres in Ekiti’

Doctors under the aegis of the National Association of Government General and Medical Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP) in Ekiti have accused the government of paying lip service to healthcare delivery in the state.

Kayode Fayemi, governor of the state, had asked the health workers to call off their strike, saying “I do not want to be put in a situation where I have to invoke the ‘no work, no pay rule’ in Ekiti state.”

But in a statement jointly signed by Kolawole Adeniyi and Toyese Adeleye, its chairman and secretary, respectively, the doctors said they embarked on the strike to save the primary and secondary health care sector in the state from total collapse.

The doctors, who are protesting wage disparity, shortage of manpower, unpaid backlog of allowances, among others, said in October 2019, it presented its position paper to the state government but “unfortunately, nothing came out of it for well over nine months”.

The doctors alleged that there are only seven doctors working in 131 health centres in the state

“It is not only a moral burden on us but also a clarion call,” they said.

“It is for the sake of the innocent people of Ekiti State, who unfortunately are at the receiving end.

“For the avoidance of doubt, at the primary health care level, there are a total of seven doctors working in 131 health centres.

“Government’s claim that it has in its employ over 300 doctors and cumulatively 700 doctors in Ekiti State is an obvious digression from the point.

“The primary and secondary levels of care are suffering obvious neglect.”

The medical personnel, therefore, appealed to “respected sons and daughters of Ekiti” as well as other stakeholders to intervene and save the sector from total collapse.