Sola POPOOLA
The Chief Medical Director (CMD), of the 400- bed Afe Babalola University Multi- System Hospital, (AMSH), Dr Kolawole Ogundipe has said the hospital is one of the very few health facilities in the country, with ability and capability to attend to all forms of critical health concerns.
Addressing journalists in Ado-Ekiti ,Dr Ogundipe explained that the hospitals unique status makes both the rich and the poor in the society, to seek help in foreign countries.
Ogundipe, however lamented the absence of a functional airport, and motorable federal roads in Ekiti, stressing that such is inhibiting the operations of the hospital.
Ogundipe, also a former Chief Medical Director of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital regretted that Babalola had invested so much, in his desires to help the Federal Government in bringing quality healthcare, capable of putting a stop to medical tourism in the country.
” The kind of healthcare services you get here in AMSH, is at par with what you will get overseas.
” The challenges we face here are numerous. Though we understand that there is nobody who embarks on a good project that will not face challenges.
” However, these are challenges that are not also exclusive to us, it also affects you journalists. On your way here, i know that you passed through bad roads to get here, because federal roads kead to this place.
” A number of persons who would have loved to be here, if there was a functional airport in Ekiti State can’t come, and that is quite unfortunate”, he said.
” When we have a functional airport, that can be taken care of, but as of today, we are still faced with a challenge that we don’t have functional airport. Rather, people have to rely on the nearest airport, which is in Akure, and then face the security challenge that is on the road.
” There is none of us who want to go to Akure now that wont first pray before we embark on the journey. These are the challenges that those who are also coming to patronize us are also facing.
” If we can eliminate this, we will have resolved a bulk of our challenges. Above all, earnings of many Nigerians now cannot even take them home, not to talk of taking them to the hospital, and taking them back”.
The CMD however said despite all the challenges, the hospital still had scores of patients, coming from many world countries, especially UK and Canada, who do come regularly to the hospital, or some who would have loved to come to the hospital, but they don’t have the funds.
” What has happened to the Health Insurance, and has the government been able to provide health insurance for all the populace”
” We hope that we can also rise together and resolve these challenges.
If you are living abroad and you are leaving there to come home for that purpose. Ekiti is landlocked, and all the federal roads, leading to the state are bad, and there is only one direct flight to Ekiti, which is Akure, you discover that the problems are enormous, but we are hoping that one day, it will be taken care of.
” The pregnant women and the children have been enjoying free health service for up to a year now, and it is not stopping.
” There is nobody who has come to the hospital without enjoying it. For the goiter, it is a programme that is just starting.
One cheering news is that, just yesterday, we discharged another man that came to us from the UK, to access medical services.