The leadership of Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria has lauded the efforts of Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, towards the promotion of healthy living for the state’s residents.
The association’s Second National President, Prince Ashi Robert, commended Governor Aregbesola for prioritizing health sector in the state, particularly primary healthcare.
Prince Robert who led the national leadership of the association to Osun gave the commendation during a courtesy visit to the Governor at Government House, Osogbo on Thursday.
He said Osun is one of the few states in Nigeria that has successfully institutionalized free healthcare services and as well recorded huge success in the management of primary healthcare system.
Prince Robert asserted that if all leaders in position of authority will take their time to study the economy, educate their people, then the governed will likely and clearly have different opinions and better understanding of the art of government by facing socio-economic reality.
He applauded Governor Aregbesola for creating an enabling environment for members of the association to thrive, practice their profession and as well helping their mental capacity to develop.
He said the visit of the leadership of the association to Osun has opened their eyes to efforts made by the Aregbesola administration to ?build a healthy state where the general well being of the people is of utmost paramount.
Prince Robert eulogized Governor Aregbesola for modernizing Primary Healthcare in the state ?which according to him has helped to reduce drastically unnecessary pressure on secondary and tertiary healthcare institutions in the state.
He noted that the efforts made by the Aregbesola’s administration towards sustaining the culture of good health and healthy living of his people had in no doubt recorded significant improvement in the last few years.
On the efforts of the state in tackling deadly HIV/AIDs, the Second National Vice President of the association, lauded the state for being a pacesetter in the fight against the menace through the creation of a virile agency known as Osun State Agency for Control of HIV/AIDs (OSSACA).
He said aside creating the agency that prevents the spread of HIV/AIDS, the state had done so much in upgrading some equipment and facilities of the laboratory scientists as well as regular assistance rendered to healthcare givers in the state to enhance greater productivity and effectiveness.
According to him, “We are in Osun as part of our routine visits to states of the federation in line with the tradition of our association to visit our members, to familiarize with them and celebrate their successes.
“We are professionals that have a stake in the health sector. We play a very crucial, cardinal and vital role in the health sector because we identify the causes of ailment before any treatment could be made.
“So, it is in view of this that we commend the present administration in Osun led by Governor Rauf Aregbesola who has taken the bull by the horn to tackle the rot in the health sector.
“We have been exposed to series of supports which Aregbesola’s administration had made to promote health sector, particularly the Primary Healthcare System which is the basic healthcare delivery agency of any society or state.
“So, we are glad to visit Osun because we have seen a strong passion and commitment to create an enabling environment for the healthcare givers to thrive, thus contributing to the general well being and healthy living of the people of the state.
“With what we have seen and heard, it is obvious that the present government in Osun has demonstrated clearly a rare commitment to ensure that every citizen in Osun live a healthy life as being reflected in the provision of quality facilities and equipment to support health sector.
“We are also proud to hear that healthcare is free in Osun. We are also informed on your efforts towards tackling the deadly HIV/AIDS through the creation of Osun State Agency for Control of HIV/AIDS popularly called (OSSACA).
“Primary Healthcare is important if it is given the needed attention as it will reduce a lot of burden on the secondary and tertiary healthcare system. But it gladdens us that your administration had looked at the primary healthcare and you have given it needed attention.
“You have listened attentively to the hues and cries of your people on healthy living through the provision of health support facilities to all the hospitals in the state.
“We are aware that Osun is one of the few states in Nigeria that are conscious about the primary healthcare service delivery in Nigeria because our association had been briefed on the various steps taken by the state to modernize primary healthcare”, Robert added.
He said the effort made by the Aregbesola’s government towards the promotion of healthy living is in no doubt a helping motive which according to him had assisted the members of the association working in the state to have job security and take firm stand.
Robert further applauded Governor Aregbesola for giving his members working in the state the opportunity to rise to the directorate in the health sector in the state.
He added, “This has repositioned our profession, motivated our members and as well stimulate them to work harder?, as it further shows Aregbesola’s interest in our profession and service to humanity”.
He therefore appealed to Governor Aregbesola ?on the need to further support the association towards maintaining professional standard and ethics in the health sector.
“We are appealing to Mr Governor to support our association towards maintaining the standard of our profession, particularly the menace of quacks, who have caused a lot of damages to the profession.
“We also need government’s support towards the upgrade of our equipment and facilities as well as our members which needed to be upgraded intellectually through training and retraining”, he requested.?
In his remarks, the Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, took the members of the association through certain economic indexes that befell the country as inherited by the present administration in the country.
He said Nigeria’s economy got to her present status due to her monolithic economic tendencies which according to him had rendered the country financially handicapped to meet most of her statutory obligations.
He attributed the economic imbroglio that ravaged the country to palpable insensitivity of successive administrations in the country, noting that Nigeria wouldn’t have had an economic hardship if her resources had been prudently and judiciously managed.
Aregbesola described theft of almost a trillion barrel of crude oil during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan as a contributory factor to the nation’s economic woes.
He said the palpable theft in the crude oil production coupled with the sharp fall in the prices of crude oil as well as activities of militants in the Niger Delta, had hampered the country from realising its daily production of the OPEC quota of 2.1 million barrels of crude oil.
The Governor also attributed the non-challant attitude of successive administrations towards adequate production and diversification of the nation’s economy as another factor that compounded the nation’s socio-economic woes.
He therefore underscored the significance of productivity vis-a-vis work for wealth creation and value for money as panacea to rescue the country from her present predicaments.
Packaged by Rahman Salami
