Ipaye Fire Back At Abiodun About OOUTH Conditions

The immediate past Commissioner of Health in Ogun State, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye has refuted claims by the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, that the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH) was poorly managed by the last administration in the state. 

Abiodun had visited the hospital on June 9, 2019, where he described the hospital as worse than deplorable and unfit to train medical doctors, adding that the Institution has lost all accreditations.

But Ipaye, in a press release made available to media men in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital said such endless circus blames is not only distractive but also capable of discouraging professionals from accepting to serve their state.

He, however, took a swipe at Abiodun saying, “It should be noted that private sector opportunism is not synonymous to system driven public and social sector arena.”

The former Health Commissioner said contrary to the ‘unnecessary media sensation’ of the governor, the former administration constructed a diagnostic centre which was commissioned in 2016 by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as part of the activities marking the 40th anniversary of the State.

Ipaye said the centre with capacity for digital x-ray, multidimensional Ultrasound scan, mammography, fluoroscopy and CT scan ‘is still functioning till date’.

On the accreditation, Ipaye said Amosun’s administration conducted call-to-medical professional ceremonies twice in 2019 alone, saying the same ceremony was conducted yearly for the eight years of the administration.

“Under my supervision as Commissioner for health”, Ipaye said, “The accreditation for undergraduate training was never lost, the teaching hospital secured full or partial accreditations for postgraduate training in Department of Anaesthesia – National Post-Graduate Medical College; Department of Radiology – West Africa College of Surgeons; Department of Internal Medicine–National Postgraduate Medical College, and Department of Orthopaedics – West Africa College of Surgeons.”

Other postgraduate accreditations secured according to Ipaye were

Department of Paediatrics – National Postgraduate College; Department of Surgery – West Africa College of Surgeons; Department of Ophthalmology – West Africa College; Department of Paediatrics – West Africa College, May 2019; and Department of Community Medicine – West Africa College, May 2019.

On qualification of doctors, Ipaye said, “How will a Teaching Hospital that secured all the above-listed accreditation and manages between 12,000 and 15,000 patients monthly qualify for the description of “worse than deplorable”?

The Former Commissioner said Abiodun’s review committee should expand its ‘inadequate terms of reference’ to reflect the training and research responsibilities of OOUTH as well as community development roles of such institutions.

He listed installation of 33KVA power supply which guarantees at least 20 hours of electricity; Human Resource Audit through carrier re-chatting of almost 1,000 staff of OOUTH for the first in its history; building of cancer screening center; Business Process Review of the Drugs and Consumables Supply System with reduction of unit costs of medicines and out-of-stock from initial level of 60 per cent to less than 5 per cent; and growth of revenue  by 300 per cent of the Pharmacy Department before end of 2018, amongst others, as part of his achievements.