The residents of Oye-Ekiti on Tuesday appealed to the governor-elect, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, to improve healthcare services by employing health workers at both basic and comprehensive health centres in the state.
Some of the residents who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Oye-Ekiti expressed their worries on the inadequate qualified health workers in the health centres across the 16 local government areas of the state.
One of the residents, Mrs Tolani Aina, a teacher, said the health centres would be more effective if the state government could employ more qualified health workers.
Aina noted that few health workers at the health centres could not cope with the increased number of patients visiting the centres.
She urged Oyebanji to employ more health workers and reduce the number of jobless health personnel in the state.
Another resident, Mr Jacob Fatoba, a welder, urged the governor-elect to improve the healthcare services in Ikole LGA and other local governments.
Fatoba advised Oyebanji to upgrade the facilities of the health centres and employ qualified health personnel to improve services.
“I want to urge our governor-elect, Mr Biodun Oyebanji to give priority to upgrading of health care centres and employ more qualified health workers to boost its effectiveness.
“The health centres need workers to cater for the numerous patients health and many of the health workers are retiring without the government replacing them.
“We have children who are specialists in community health but do not have jobs, I am appealing to Mr Oyebanji to consider these people and give them the jobs,” he said.
Mrs Bolanle Owolabi, a tailor, said that many of the health centres in Oye LGA area do not have adequate health workers.
Owolabi explained that sometimes two health workers will be on night shift and when there is an emergency such as delivery cases and accidents, they always find it difficult to cope with the condition.
Another resident, Mrs Kehinde Anjorin, a trader, urged the state government to improve the health care service delivery in the local governments.
Anjorin noted that few health centres have qualified workers and good facilities.
She appealed to the governor-elect to engage in massive employment of health workers to replace those that have resigned their jobs or left.
“I am aware that many health workers have started travelling to foreign countries for better jobs and salaries leaving various vacant positions for the jobless health personnel in Ekiti.
“I want to appeal to our governor-elect to invest more in employing qualified health workers and upgrade our health facilities to be more effective and efficient in service delivery,” she said.
(NAN)