MDCAN Press Release: Stop the Brain Drain in Oyo State, SOS for LAUTECH Teaching Hospital

This is an appeal to the good people of Oyo State to save Lautech Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso from imminent extinction and stop the daily brain drain in Oyo State. The Medical and Dental Consultants Association, LTH Ogbomoso (MDCAN) deem it necessary to once again appeal to all to collectively plead with Mr Governor to stop the disservice to Oyo State.

Lautech Teaching Hospital (LTH), Ogbomoso came into existence in 2010 and became operational in 2011. LTH was supposed to be a state of the art model teaching hospital in Nigeria if completed, but it remains far from that due to the non-completion of some projects and non supply of some state of the art equipments. This is probably due to the body language of present administration in Oyo State which has portrayed a nonchalant attitude despite several appeals by the various staff unions in the hospital to both the Governor and Legislature. The question is what happens to the collective wealth of N24b expended by previous administration? In the 6 years of existence of LTH, despite the below average support of government, LTH can boast of dedicated staff who have made the hospital excel. LTH has had a crop of committed consultants who have contributed to research and training of other specialists. LTH has been so blessed that in a short while, quite a number of departments have trained residents who have completed training to become specialists and even excelled at exams ahead of older institutions.

However, despite this exceptional dedication, commitment and financial sacrifice by staff and some Oyo State indigenes who have come to our aid to complete some abandoned projects in the hospital, our Governor remains unperturbed to visit the hospital and have an on the spot assessment, but rely on stories by enemies of Oyo State who malign the hospital as been a wasteful project.

The government of Oyo State in a deliberate attempt to close down the hospital intentionally cut subvention to the hospital in January 2016 and all categories of workers have been subjected to between 28% and 50% salary till date and the last % salary paid was August, 2017 as at today 30th November, 2017. Several efforts have been made to appeal to the Governor to reverse this anomaly as all other health institutions in Oyo State are receiving full salary and subvention. The aftermath of this action of government has led to massive brain drain in the hospital with an exodus of young consultants trained by LTH (whom some have had international exposure through LTH), many senior consultants too have left, also are residents in training and a large number of nurses have also been absorbed by other institutions. We can conveniently ascertain that about 30% of the professional work force has left LTH within the last 6 months when it was evident that this government is most unlikely to bulge. MDCAN and other unions through various emissaries have made frantic efforts to meet with Mr Governor without success.

It is with dismay that we receive the news that despite the massive brain drain already happening, the government of Oyo State has completed plans to further downsize the hospital from a Teaching Hospital to a State owned General hospital without the full complements of a teaching, specialized services and research component of the present institution. It is shocking that despite the number of people who have left willingly, the government is still insistent on “not wanting a teaching hospital”.
The consequences are many, among which are;
1. Some ancillary departments that are useful to comprehensive healthcare would be wiped off.
2. Some specialists trained in these areas would be lost to other institutions,
3. LAUTECH University would lose its NUC and MDCN accreditation status as LTH Ogbomoso was considered as part of facilities for undergraduate training.
4. UCH Ibadan would become further overwhelmed with patient care and certainly increase morbidity and mortality rates in Oyo State.
5. Lack of quality tertiary health care services for students and staff of LAUTECH.
6. Lack of emergency tertiary health services for the masses in Ogbomoso, Oke Ogun and their environs leading to increase death rate among the poor masses of Oyo State.

The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, LTH hereby cry out to the good people of Oyo State. elder statesmen, political leaders, religious leaders, royal fathers, men and women to lend a voice and appeal to Mr Governor to jettison this plan that would set Oyo State 10 years back apart from allowing a huge investment go down the drain which would be difficult to recover. Oyo State must continue to be the pace setter state,
We must halt the brain drain
Salaries of all workers in LTH must be paid like all other workers in the health sector.

LTH Ogbomoso must not go into extinction
LTH Ogbomoso must be empowered to function maximally.
Long Live LTH, Ogbomoso!!!