By Adetokunbo FAKEYE
Nigeria – A non political organization, Yewa North Patriotic Forum, YNPF, in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, has written a passionate letter to the state Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun demanding for qualified medical personnel for the Primary Health Centre in Igbokofi border town.
The forum in a the letter signed by its President, Comrade Adeyemi Sunday, also demanded the deployment of more doctors and nurses to General hospital, Ayetoro, the headquarters of Yewa North Local Government Council.
Below is the full letter:
July 13th, 2024
His Excellency Dr. Dapo Abiodun MFR CON
Governor, Ogun State,
Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
Dear Sir,
REQUEST FOR QUALIFIED MEDICAL PERSONNEL AT PRIMARY HEALTH CENTRE IGBOKOFI, REDEPLOY MORE NURSES & DOCTORS TO GENERAL HOSPITAL AYETORO AND UTILIZATION OF HOSPITAL CONSTRUCTED BY NATIONAL BOUNDARY COMMISSION*
We write this letter to bring to your attention the urgent need for qualified medical personnel at Igbokofi Primary Health Centre, this said PHC need to be renovated, refurbished and re-equipped. As a concerned group, we are seriously saddened and pained with the ugly and pathetic situation our people in this axis are facing, a whole lots of ugly but preventable casualties, infants mortalities are daily occurring in this area due to lack of competent medical personnel.
The non-existence of medical personnel made our people to seek medical intervention in the hands of quack medical personnel available around or go to the neighbouring Benin Republic.
We also write to inform you Sir, to urgently request that the State Ministry of Health consider the utilization of the abandoned facilities built by National Boundary Commission within which has a hospital. This said facility has been constructed and completed but remains underutilized or unutilized, it has capacity to provide the essential healthcare services needed in this community.
Your excellency let share some of the ugly experiences that our people, mostly women go through in the process of giving births; the case of Mrs Folake Olaniyi 35, whose womb was evacuated in the process of childbirth because there was no medical facility and personnel at Igbokofi. She was transferred from Igbokofi to Ijoun to Ayetoro and later landed at Sacred Heart Hospital, Abeokuta, she spent over four months there with over ₦400, 000.00 as medical bills.
The case of little Darasimi Sanya whose mother died in the process of child birth as a result of been attended to by a quack medical personnel who was bereaved of ideas when her mother developed complication after birth, there are many expectant mothers who have paid the Supreme price in other to give birth among who are Mrs Silifa Kudebi, Tosin Ayeni, and Maria Ogunyomi. We, as a concerned group of people is calling for improved healthcare infrastructure that will improve the healthcare services rendered to our people in Igbokofi and environs, including Ayetoro.
These facilities (PHC Igbokofi and hospital built by National Boundary Commission) will help bridge the healthcare gap in this area.
We request that Ministry of Health, Hospitals Management Board and relevant agencies should take over the management and operation of these facilities to provide quality healthcare services to our people in Igbokofi and utilizing these facilities will:
* Improve healthcare delivery in Igbokofi
* Improve access to healthcare services for the citizens within the area
* Reduce infants mortality rates
* Reduce healthcare disparities among the locals
* Full optimization of available resources.
Worst still, the only one General Hospital serving the whole largest local government in the state “Yewa North” is also understaffed with just 2 Medical Doctors and few Nurses out of which less than 9 was even posted out to a city where relatively large numbers of Nurses are available leading to gross shortage and poor access to quality healthcare in Ayetoro.
Yewa North Local Government is the largest local government in the state with over 800km2 in land expanse sharing international boundary with Benin Republic, has large arable land for agriculture, abundance of many mineral deposits among which is limestone, the primary and secondary host of the two largest cement factory in West Africa and secondary host of another averagely performing cement factory with another big cement company fighting for space within the local government, generating substantive large amount of revenue for both state and federal governments.
This forum has written many times to your office with relatively no response or actions taken afterwards, among our demands are
* The Primary Health Centre at Igbokofi
* General Hospital Ayetoro to beef up staff (Nurses & Doctors)
* Resolution of electricity blackout in Yewa North
* Repair of deplorable road conditions
* Upgrade of the fire service station with vehicle in Ayetoro
* Implementation of the Hon. Kayode Oladele Committee report on displaced persons affected by farmers-herders crisis
Regrettably, we are yet to receive any response or see tangible action on these matters. The affected communities continue to suffer, and their welfare and well-being are of utmost concern to us.
Therefore, we kindly request that your administration addresses these demands on or before August 31st, 2024. Failure to meet up with demands will spur us to embark on statewide protests, peaceful rallies, and other civil actions to draw attention to these pressing life-threatening issues.
We believe that your prompt intervention will alleviate the suffering of our people and demonstrate your government’s commitment to their welfare.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
We kindly request that you consider these demands and grant them speedy answers to address this critical need.
Yours,
Comr. Adeyemi Sunday
President
Cc:
1. Sen. Solomon Olamilekan Adeola
Senator, Ogun West Senatorial District
2. Hon. Prince Gboyega Isiaka
Member, House of Representative Yewa North/Imeko Afon Federal Constituency
3. Dr. Tomi Coker
Commissioner for Health
4. Hon. Gabriel Ogunyomi
Chairman, Yewa North Local Government
5. Hon. Wahab Haruna Egungbohun
Member Ogun State House of Assembly, Yewa North II State Assembly
6. Director of DSS Yewa North Local Government, Ayetoro
7. Hon. Adegoke Adeyanju Awoso
Ogun State House of Assembly, Yewa North State Constituency I State Assembly
