By Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The primary purpose of a teaching hospital is to serve as a research center for tertiary institutions, equipped with the facilities necessary for training medical students and preparing them for best practices in healthcare. Typically, teaching hospitals address specialized cases or serious health issues that general hospitals cannot manage.
Osun State University Teaching Hospital (UNIOSUNTH) functions as a practical training ground for medical students from various institutions, including UniOsun, Redeemer’s University, Adeleke University and others in the region. However, the hospital is increasingly becoming moribund due to a lack of essential equipment and the deteriorating condition of existing medical facilities.
As of today, some universities around the state still rely on Uniosun Teaching Hospital for training of their students. Particularly, Uniosun nursing and medical laboratory students, Redeemer’s University nursing and physiotherapy students, Adeleke University physiotherapy students, School of Nursing, Osogbo, Mercy School of Nursing, Fountain University Nursing and medical laboratory students.
Investigations revealed that many necessary tools for fulfilling the hospital’s mandate are absent. Patients frequently find themselves referred to private hospitals for even minor tests, as Uniosun teaching hospital lacks critical equipment such as Computed Tomography (CT) scans and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRIs).
These machines used for disease detection, diagnosis and treatment monitoring have not been in the Uniosun teaching hospital, according to findings. In fact, three private hospitals in Osogbo offer CT scans, including one operated by a senior staff member of the teaching hospital, while the teaching hospital itself does not have this capability.
Additionally, there are frequent shortages of basic stationery, compelling patients to provide their own. For instance, some patients reported being asked to purchase exercise books to replace the small cards typically issued upon registration.
Notably, recruitment at the teaching hospital has stagnated for the past 12 years, with only limited replacements made. Consequently, several departments remain understaffed. Patients have expressed frustration over the hospital’s inability to perform routine tests, such as genotype and blood group tests, which are routinely referred out.
During our visit, patients lamented the lack of basic services. One patient stated: “They directed us to go and do it outside,” referring to the inability to conduct necessary blood tests. Similarly, another patient noted the hospital’s failure to perform x-rays, forcing them to seek services at private laboratories.
The radiology department has also faced significant challenges, including prolonged shortages of x-ray film, which has hindered its ability to conduct tests. Furthermore, the hospital’s dialysis machine is operated in partnership with a private individual, sharing the revenue generated.
Dr. Ojo Oluwadamilola, President of the Association of Resident Doctors, declined to comment on the state of the hospital’s equipment. Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer, Mr. Wale Ajibolu, also refrained from discussing the purported deficiencies in equipment. However, Chief Medical Director Prof. Peter Olaitan confirmed the absence of MRI and CT scan facilities, saying some of the equipment like x-ray machine is old and efforts are on to replace it.
The Executive Director of the Centre for Responsive Governance, Comrade Ayo Ologun, criticized the hospital’s failure to meet expected standards, highlighting the dire implications for emergency services.
He said: “The functioning of any hospital, let alone a government hospital, is to respond to health needs of the people and provide to them services that make a hospital what it should be. The news of incompetence and incompetent services being referred by the UNIOSUN teaching hospital is almost becoming deafening.
“Reports from people confirm lack of needed equipments as small as machine to carry out blood test, genotype and even X-ray are been charged to be done outside of the hospital. Wherein lays the hope of patients on emergency when these service(s) are required.
“This is a further prove of lip service been paid to the healthcare of the people as government pledges and promises does not reflect the reality on ground at the hospital and this is at the expense of the lives of the citizenry.”
Similarly, the Osun Masterminds said a tertiary institution of health such as Uniosun Teaching Hospital should be a thing of pride and not the unpalatable situation of the hospital.
The Executive Director of TOM, Prof Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, said: “We have it on good authority that services being rendered by the hospital are not topnotch and unbefitting of a hospital of such standard. Issues as minute as blood test, blood group, scans and other issues are being referred to other hospitals and private diagnostic centers in the state at a price uneasy for the people. Machines and equipments needed are not available and this impacts wrongly on the promise of good healthcare by the government.
“We charge the government to beam searchlight on the running of the UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital in the interest of the people. The people deserve more in terms of healthcare so that we don’t continue to lose the people we are governing.”
The state government has pledged to recruit medical personnel to fill vacant positions left by those who have emigrated. The commissioner for health, Jola Akinola, stated that recruitment efforts are ongoing, but no specific timeline can be provided. He emphasized that Governor Ademola Adeleke has instructed management to replace any departing staff without waiting for government’s approval.
In his reaction, the special adviser to Adeleke on public health, Dr Adekunle Akindele, blamed the past administrations for the decay of equipment in the teaching hospital. He assured that the present government is making efforts to provide the equipment and make the teaching hospital what it ought to be.
He said: “A teaching hospital is more or less an institution of research and management of diseases like cancer, renal and some others, and it’s key to delivery of comprehensive health care system in any place.
“It is unfortunate that the previous administrations in the last twelve years never made any concrete effort to put those things in place. When we came in, we discovered that all the three strata – primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare, have been neglected. It’s not limited to the teaching hospital. The decay cut across all the strata of the health system. We are making efforts, serious and concerted efforts to solve the problem.
“As we speak, we are renovating and upgrading 332 primary facilities across the state. These are facilities that immediate administration rehabilitated. But if you have a facility you cannot boast of 24 hours electricity and water supply, will you call that rehabilitation.
“As a teaching hospital, it is the final bus stop in the healthcare delivery system in the state. We don’t expect the place not to have that equipment. Reagent, x-ray films and some others are important. The governor has approved the professional allowances of health workers. That has really motivated them.
“The management has been given approval to replace any staff that left by retirement or transfer. We are going to recruit at the primary, secondary and tertiary. There have been vacancies, but for the teaching hospital, they have the mandate to replace any staff where there is shortage of staff.”
The chief medical director of Uniosun Teaching Hospital, Prof Peter Olaitan, who spoke to our correspondent, confirmed that the hospital did not have some equipment, but noted that the management has been very up and doing to make things work despite the challenges.
He said: “As at today we have dialysis machine. We have been running dialysis care for more than 20 years. Of course, we need more. We don’t have a CT scan and we don’t have MRI but the government is working seriously to ensure that we have. I presented the need to the governor and the cost implications, and the governor is desirous of putting those things there.
“Some basic equipment would also be provided like endoscopic. The hospital is working towards securing some loans because the fund available to the government will not be adequate to take care of everything, including education, agriculture and others.
“We, as a hospital is saying that we leave the big ones like MRI and CT scan to the government. There are other things that we can do to make sure that the equipment is available. That’s why we are proposing a loan so that we can get some things like endoscopy so that we can start the facility care, the IVF care in the hospital.
“We also plan to upgrade some laboratory equipment with that loan that we are going to secure. Essentially, basic equipments are available. Though equipment may breakdown and you repair, you replace and restore. Sometimes when you have single equipment and it suddenly crashes, it may take a couple of days before you can replace.
That is why you see sometimes people cry out that they cannot do something. It is because we have only one equipment for that particular test and it takes a couple of days before you can purchase another one.
“The hospital is not doing badly. On our own, we are trying to buy, even from our IGR to ensure that equipments are available in different places. The government is also working seriously to ensure that some of the big ones that we cannot afford are provided. This is a public institution. We are trying to provide service at a very affordable price to everybody in the state. So, we cannot bill people like a private hospital will do.
“With the amount of money that comes from the IGR, we are able to buy a number of equipment. The other area that we are looking at is public private partnerships where you have some private establishment bringing some equipment to the hospital and running it. We take some percentage and they take some percentage. Those are the areas we are looking at to ensure that needed equipment are provided for care, training and research.
“We have two dialysis machines, one from the state government and one from the private. It is not purely public private partnership. A part of it is PPP, but a part is not.
“There may be some time when equipment brakes down. Our x-ray machine is about 12 years old. Sometimes it breaks down and we have to fix it.
“However, the issue of consumables, sometimes can also be a challenge if the heads of department don’t request for them as at when due. The management has actually tried to ensure that that doesn’t happen again because we always say that if the consumable is halfway, they should make a request because the purchase of consumables takes a process. We have to advertise and gather the quotation. It has a process. That is why we said once your consumable are half, make your request so that by the time it is exhausted, you will get another one.
“The management has also released some amount of money to the pharmacy, laboratory, hematology, and microbiology. We give them certain amount of money as impress that where you need something urgently, quickly go and buy by direct purchase and ensure that service is not disrupted. Though some of them may not be able to do that and machine may break down.
“For example, we have only one x-ray machine. If it breaks down, it will break the service and that may be one of the times when you see people going outside to do it. We don’t have a CT scan and the government said all the equipment must be provided either by the government or the private partnership.”
On shortage of staff, Prof Olaitan said: “The governor has given us the permission to replace. The most travelled among them are the nurses and doctors. It is not as if somebody has gone today and we will replace immediately. It could take about three months. In between the months, you may have about 10 to 15 shortage again. We have to wait and get permission despite the fact that the governor asked us to replace. That sometimes takes a little time.
“Sometimes, the people that left, we have been making effort to replace them but we may not find the doctor or specialist that left. For example, we have about six prerogative nurses that we need to replace. We have started looking round to get two, and we have got the others. So, because of this exodus called ‘Japa’, a lot of the experts have gone out and it is becoming very difficult to get people. We want resident doctors, we want to employ them, we have been advertising, and it has become difficult whereas we didn’t have this problem about six years ago. Just advertise and more than enough will apply.”
Despite these assurances, the hospital’s current state raises concerns about its ability to provide adequate healthcare. The situation at Uniosun teaching hospital reflects a broader neglect of healthcare infrastructure in the region. While the government promises improvements, the reality on the ground indicates a pressing need for immediate action to restore the hospital’s capacity to meet the healthcare needs of the community. Patients and healthcare professionals alike are calling for urgent reforms to ensure that Osun State University Teaching Hospital can fulfill its vital role in the healthcare system.