Osun Residents Lament Poor Healthcare as Workers Desert Primary Health Centers

Health workers at the primary health center in Adedapo Estate, Ido-Osun, Osun State, have deserted the facility due to the dangerous state of the building. According to reports, the workers, including doctors and nurses, stopped attending the center in April 2023 because the dilapidated structure posed safety concerns. Continue Reading>>>

The absence of medical personnel has severely affected healthcare services in the area, leaving residents without access to necessary medical care.

The deteriorating state of infrastructure in the health center highlights the urgent need for government intervention to restore the facility and ensure the safety of both workers and patients.

The 10-bed facility, one of the Millennium Development Goals projects executed in 2011, had previously served Halleluyah and Adedapo estates, Woru, and Abiola Oloke communities, among others.

However, the PHC, which was once equipped with modern equipment, is now a shadow of its former self, surrounded by overgrown bushes. All the equipment has also been removed, leaving the building empty.

The cracked walls of the PHC are visible, and the building’s roof is also in a state of disrepair.

Residents of the surrounding communities who could not afford the services of the only private hospital in the area have been compelled to visit a maternity clinic in Rinsayo, a neighbouring area, to seek medical care.

Speaking with our correspondent, the community head, Oloke Sapo Surulere, AbdulGaniyu Adeyanju, called on the state government to rehabilitate the PHC, noting that it was the only health facility in their area.

Adeyanju said the health centre had been moribund for years and that all efforts by the community to revive it had proved abortive.

“The PHC used to be a source of pride for us years ago, but it has continued to deteriorate year after year until it is no longer functioning. We have made efforts to renovate it, but we are yet to see any results,” he added.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that the Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) had earlier this year shown interest in rehabilitating the PHC on a counterpart funding agreement.

A resident of Adedapo Estate, Ayo Adeola, said the CSDP asked the community to contribute a certain amount of money to support the rehabilitation of the health centre.

Adeola said, “The CSDP officials held a meeting with some stakeholders in the Adedapo and Halleluyah communities about rehabilitating the PHC. The rehabilitation was estimated to cost about N10m, and the CSDP asked us to provide a counterpart fund of a certain amount which we are yet to raise.

“The PHC was a significant facility with equipment, but due to a lack of maintenance, the health centre is no longer functioning. We used to have qualified doctors and nurses who attended to people here in the past. However, the health workers left because the building was not maintained.

“The walls of the PHC have cracked, and the roof has caved in. The entire building needs total renovation. The state and local governments should come to our aid. Despite living in the state capital, we have no access to healthcare services in this community.”

However, the Commissioner for Health in Osun State, Jola Jokotola, said the government’s focus was on primary healthcare centres in the 332 wards of the state, stating that those centres were already being rehabilitated. Continue Reading>>>

He said, “We have 814 primary health centres in Osun State, but we have 332 that are focal, one per ward. We are upgrading and renovating the 332 PHCs comprehensively. We have completed 100, all equipped with 24-hour energy and water supply. We are working on another 100, which will be ready before the second anniversary of Governor Adeleke. We will know the next step after the current project.”