Editorials! EKSUTH, A Death Institution That Needs Urgent Overhaul

The Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti in Ekiti State, considering recent happenings no doubt is now a death trap that needs urgent attention and overhauling in terms of staff, medical equipments and management.

The recent happenings at the State owned health institution in Ado Ekiti, needs no naysayer to know that it has become a death trap if the Ekiti State government is ready and serious to carry out any effective, meaningful change and development there.

The Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, EKSUTH, in recent times starting from mid-2024 onwards has been engrossed in several and severe issues like non-payment of salaries; leading to mass resignation cum doctors’ strikes, disrupted services, financial woes, infrastructural decay, and demands for improved welfare, reflecting broader healthcare system struggles in the State.

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For few years now, EKSUTH has refused to be a peaceful place, with many crises like financial and welfare crisis with doctors, nurses, and staff protest of non-payment of salaries and allowances for months, causing significant hardship and forcing many skilled professionals to leave for other health institutions.

The State owned health institution has also engrossed itself in staff shortages and resignations as a result of unpaid wages, mass exodus of medical personnel like doctors, nurses, consultants, leading to crippling of service delivery at the hospital.

Also, on several occasions, medical services at the health institution were seriously affected as a result of mass resignations which directly overwhelmed remaining staff, causing disruptions thereby shutting down critical services.

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During each of the period that EKSUTH was engulfed in crises, its management were unable to resolve expected managerial affairs.

In essence, the EKSUTH was overwhelmed and was “practically defeated”, mainly as a result of the underlying governance and financial management problems within the hospital and the state’s health sector.

Several protests and demonstrations held by staff occasioned by issuance of strike ultimatums, with a view for intervention from state government and other unions in resolving the salary arrears and improve working conditions failed.

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In essence, EKSUTH has been facing a severe operational crisis driven by financial neglect, leading to a brain drain and compromised healthcare access for the people of Ekiti State and beyond, a story echoed in various Nigerian public institutions.

The recent report from a patient at the EKSUTH facility in Ado Ekiti is another issue that points to the health institution failing in its responsibility to protect lives of the people of Ekiti State and environs.

The constitution of a panel to investigate the case of organ harvesting at EKSUTH is a welcome development but will only provide a temporary solution to the many problems that EKSUTH is deeply engrossed in.

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We strongly believe that what the EKSUTH needs at this material time is total overhauling and not a panel comprising of the ‘friends of government’ whose hands would be tight to come up with the correct and right recommendations that will help proffer a lasting solutions to the numerous problems bedeviling the state owned health institution.

From the lists, the Chairman of the Board of Management of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti, Dr Adedamola Dada, named Professor Francis Faduyile from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital as the Chairman of the 7-man panel of enquiry to look into the case of Mr Joshua Afolayan, the said patient whose kidney was allegedly harvested at EKSUTH.

Other members of the panel include, Professor Patrick Temi Adegun of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti; Dr. Henry Abiyere from Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti; Dr. Adebola Adeniyi Agbaje, General Manager, Progress F.M, Ado- Ekiti; Reverend Emmanuel Aribasoye, Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, Ekiti State branch; High Chief Professor Babatunde Akindele, the Elemo of Ado–Ekiti, a Community leader, and Barrister Adebayo Titilayo the Legal Adviser to Ekiti State Ministry of Health, who will serve as Secretary to the panel.

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According to the statement made public by the Head of the Corporate Affairs of EKSUTH, Mrs Rolake Adewumi, a period of ten (10) days was said to have been given to the 7-man panel to submit its report.

In our own view, 10 days might not be enough to identify all the problems facing EKSUTH, not to talk of addressing the issues.

Yes, EKSUTH needs a seven man panel to unravel the allegation but it shouldn’t stop at that.

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Additionally, EKSUTH still needs total overhauling of the system as a way of meeting up with the recent standard.

The recommendations that the seven man panel will come up with might not tackle any problem or resolve the many deeper rooted issues confronting EKSUTH as an health institution.

It will only further expose issues that will generate more reactions from the public patronizing the health institution.

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Appointing friends of the government of Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji into the seven man panel is distasteful and will only compound the problem the more.

Rather, those who should have been appointed into the seven man panel are those who are can’t be traceable to Biodun Oyebanji”s government in Ekiti State. Apolitical, unbiased and well respected characters that will do better in such a Committee. They would have been in a better position to unravel the main problems confronting EKSUTH and tell Governor Biodun Oyebanji the truth, instead of window dressing the problems which will make it uninteresting.

The seven man committee as constituted will want to be careful in making recommendations that will not promote their friend in government, but only to protect his interest and launder his image further most especially that the State is preparing towards another off cycle governorship election in the State by 2026.

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Appointing a distance friends of the government into such sensitive allegation is out of it.

For benefit of doubt, the Secretary of the seven man committee is a legal Adviser of the ministry of health who is directly answerable to the governor and the government.

The best hands in handling the matter ought to have been selected from among individuals, who will not be afraid to dig deep and made public their revelations without editing it, and who have no traces to the government or to the governor on power, and who are outside the state owned health sector in the State, in order to create confidence on the committee and the government,

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Such step and decision would have even attract more support and credibility for the government and the governor on the matter.

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