Progress recorded in health sector, says outgoing Ekiti hospital CMD

Chief Medical Director of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti (FETHI), Prof. Adekunle Ajayi

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The outgoing Chief Medical Director of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti (FETHI), Prof. Adekunle Ajayi, has said Nigeria is making tremendous progress in improving hospital facilities, citing significant investments by the Federal Government in recent years.

Ajayi said the Federal Government had made an unimaginable level of investment in the nation’s health system to upgrade facilities and enhance service delivery, while expressing confidence in the capacity and competence of healthcare practitioners in the country.

The consultant physician spoke on Monday in Ido Ekiti during a valedictory media chat ahead of the completion of his two-year tenure as CMD on December 31.

Speaking on brain drain in the health sector, Ajayi described it as a broader social menace driven by multiple factors, stressing that addressing it requires a comprehensive approach beyond the health system.

“The approach to mitigating brain drain is what is obviously multi-faceted. It is not just limited to what the Federal Ministry of Health will do.

“It extends to every facet of our society to be involved. It is not a health system menace, it is a social menace within the country. And we must employ all the tools of managing social menace to manage brain drain.

“This may include improvements in the salary, staff retention policies, improving security, improving road access, giving workers car loans to be able to buy cars, improving the quality of education in the country so that people can safely put their children in school without the fear of strike and on and on,” he said.

Ajayi also spoke on medical tourism, attributing it largely to consumer choice rather than lack of capacity within the Nigerian health system.

“That some decide to seek medical attention abroad does not mean there are no good health facilities in Nigeria. It is important to also note that medical tourism depends on consumers’ choice.

“We cannot blame people for making their choice in the terms of health services they desire to consume and that is not an indication that there are no good health facilities in Nigeria to handle their cases.

“The capacity is there and Nigerian doctors and other health workers are among the best trained in the health system all over the world. You can see them demonstrating their skills and expertise when they go abroad. So, I won’t say, the medical tourism thing is due to lack of capacity,” he said.

Ajayi said that under his leadership, FETHI improved service delivery by prioritising patient satisfaction, deploying necessary infrastructure and equipment for job satisfaction, and focusing on human capacity development and staff welfare.

He said the administration embarked on large-scale renovation and expansion of clinical and administrative facilities, expanded the Intensive Care Unit from four to 12 beds, and improved the hospital’s Internally Generated Revenue.

Other achievements, according to him, included the revival of the Drug and Laboratory Funds, increasing the hospital’s annexes from two to four, and training over 1,000 doctors from other facilities.

He added that “the hospital provided training support to over 20 institutions nationwide.”

The outgoing CMD also said there was no local strike by industrial unions during his tenure due to welfare-driven policies that ensured job satisfaction for staff.

He listed measures taken to include transparency and an open-door policy across all cadres, prompt and regular payment of salaries and allowances, upgrading and conversion of about 300 staff, creation of a procurement department staffed with 10 officers certified by the Bureau of Public Procurement, restoration of rural posting allowance, expanded capacity building, and support for academic advancement of workers.

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