Posted by By MATTHEW DIKE, Ado-Ekiti on
Ekiti State Governor, Olusegun Oni, on Monday warned that any government official caught embezzling the state's money will be committed to jail.
Ekiti State Governor, Olusegun Oni, on Monday warned that any government official caught embezzling the state's money will be committed to jail.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the second round of the State Surgical Festival, which took place at the State Specialist Hospital, Ikere-Ekiti, Governor Oni said that his government would not tolerate anything that would jeopardise the interest of the common people, adding that the two weeks event was organised to reduce the suffering of the masses who cannot afford to pay surgical fees in private hospitals.
Oni assured that nobody would be allowed to steal from the state's treasury and anybody caught doing that would be legally dealt with: "We are doing this so that nobody will steal your money and whoever steals your money will go to jail," he added.
The first exercise, Oni said, was successful as 147 people had successful eye surgery, while over 3000 eye glasses were distributed to the beneficiaries free and adequate medicaments dispensed to those who needed them.
The Governor noted that the difficulty being encountered by some individuals to meet the cost of surgery and post-operation expenses ,"often lead to low productivity and at times , death, which consequently affect our economic indices negatively , particularly in a developing economy like ours." 'Prevention and prompt treatment of ailments as being provided by this administration will surely save precious lives and also generate enormous savings that will enhance the economic and social development of the state.Prevention is not only better than cure but also costs less," Oni said.
The government, he said, holds quality health care delivery to the people very dearly, adding that his administration has embarked on a concerted programme aimed at providing quality and affordable health care that would be accessible to the masses at the grassroots level.
"This has informed the development of new interventions aimed at alleviating the suffering of the less- privileged in our society.The measures are being put in place to correct the imbalance in access to health care where quality health care is becoming increasingly reserved for the rich .Ekiti State is determined to meet the Millenium Development Goals through the implementation of several other additional medical interventions to improve the life expectancy and quality of life of the citizenry," the governor stated.
The criterion for selection of those to be operated upon, the governor noted was basically on a proof of ailment rather than age, sex, location, ethnic, religious or political leaning, adding that each patient had hundred percent chance of consideration for selection.
"It has been observed that patients commonly die of strangulated hernias, rupture appendices, toxic goiter, cancers of organs and breast lumps, among others, as a result of late and non reporting in the hospital and clinic," he added.
He further disclosed that the bill for upgrading the State Specialist Hospital to a teaching hospital for the University of Ado-Ekiti is already before the State House of Assembly ,revealing that the teaching hospital, in addition to other professional medical courses, is expected to offer a degree course in Nursing.
Ekiti State Commissioner for Health, Dr Femi Thomas said during the two weeks long surgical festival,various types of operation cutting across conditions like hernia, appendicitis, lipomas, cysts, goiters, fibroids and prostrate enlargement among others will be attended to.
Within the two weeks, Dr Thomas added, about 500 patients from all the local governments would benefit from the exercise, adding that the next phase of the festival will take place in November in Ijero while the present exercise would end on Friday, September 7,2007.