Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has said his administration will review the composition of the State Hospitals Management Board and formally inaugurate the board, ending months of interim leadership at the agency responsible for coordinating healthcare delivery across the state's secondary health facilities.
Aiyedatiwa disclosed this on Thursday when the newly elected executive members of the Nigeria Medical Association, Ondo State chapter, paid him a courtesy visit at his office in Akure, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan. The governor explained that the board's previous chairman left the position after his appointment as Secretary to the State Government, while another member, Dr Segun Ategbole, resigned to contest an election. He said a substantive chairman had since been appointed, while Dr Nathaniel Akeredolu had been providing leadership pending the formal inauguration of the board. "I will look into the composition and do the official inauguration of the board," Aiyedatiwa said.
The review comes amid a broader push by the administration to strengthen healthcare delivery in a state where the sector has historically been underfunded and underserved. Aiyedatiwa said his administration inherited a health sector that required a turnaround and was taking steps to improve facilities and services. He disclosed that the government was equipping hospitals and had awarded contracts for 500-bed hospital projects across the state, with contractors already on site. The governor also pledged to deepen investment in the health sector, assuring the NMA that his administration would continue to strengthen healthcare delivery. "I want to assure you that I will do more, as long as I am there. I will work within the limited resources that are available at my disposal," he said.
The interim leadership of the Hospitals Management Board has overseen a period of significant activity in the state's health sector. According to the Acting Chairman, Dr O.N. Akeredolu, more than 3,000 health workers have been employed to address manpower shortages and strengthen service delivery. The government is constructing 500-bed wards across hospitals, renovating and upgrading specialist and general hospitals, and equipping the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital Complex with major diagnostic facilities, including Computed Tomography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and mammography machines. The administration purchased 12 modern ambulances and refurbished more than 28 other board vehicles to improve emergency response and logistics. More than 100 Primary Healthcare Centres have been renovated, and the General Hospital at Agbakada, abandoned for about 16 years, has been completed. Two oxygen plants have been established at the State Specialist Hospitals in Akure and Okitipupa, strengthening the state's capacity to meet its medical oxygen needs. The government has also converted more than 800 casual workers under the Hospital Management Board to permanent staff, improving job security and morale.
The NMA chairman in Ondo State, Dr Roland Arohunmolase, commended the governor for his commitment to healthcare development and the welfare of health workers. He described the governor's initiatives as revolutionary, saying they had positively impacted residents and health workers. He praised the procurement of state-of-the-art equipment, including a CT scan, and the plan to establish 500-bed hospitals across the state. He also commended the implementation of the new salary structure approved by the National Wages Commission, describing Ondo as the first state to do so, and said the development had improved workers' economic wellbeing and service delivery.
However, Arohunmolase raised concerns over the deployment of doctors as corps members and the difficulty of attracting doctors to Akure. He also appealed to the governor to correct an error in the computation of the new salary structure, saying "23 basic" was computed instead of the approved 2025 structure. Aiyedatiwa promised to look into the concerns, saying his administration had increased allowances to attract corps members and was constructing a new structure to provide better accommodation at the corps members' camp. He said the decision followed his dissatisfaction with the existing accommodation and the condition of the environment during his visit to the camp.
The review of the Hospitals Management Board is not merely an administrative formality. The board oversees the management of secondary healthcare facilities across the state, including specialist and general hospitals, and its composition and leadership directly affect the quality of services delivered to patients. The delay in inaugurating the board, caused by the departure of two key members, has left the agency operating under interim leadership at a time when the administration is implementing an ambitious health reform agenda. The formal inauguration of a substantive board would provide the governance structure needed to sustain and expand those reforms.
The governor's focus on health is consistent with his administration's broader priorities. Aiyedatiwa said security of lives and property remained the administration's first priority, followed by health and education, stressing that no sector would be left behind. He noted that education was also a priority because no nation could develop without producing young leaders and the human capital needed in other sectors. The health sector has been a central focus of the EASE Agenda, the administration's development blueprint, with interventions spanning workforce expansion, infrastructure renewal, equipment acquisition and improved welfare for health workers.
The state's health sector still faces significant challenges, including the difficulty of attracting and retaining doctors in rural areas, the need for sustained investment in infrastructure and equipment, and the pressure of a growing population on limited healthcare resources. The NMA's concerns about the deployment of corps members and the salary structure computation reflect the day-to-day frustrations of health workers who are essential to the system's functioning. The governor's willingness to engage with the association and address its grievances signals a recognition that health outcomes depend not only on buildings and equipment but on the people who deliver care.
For the people of Ondo State, the review and inauguration of the Hospitals Management Board represents an opportunity to strengthen the institutions that govern healthcare delivery. The interim leadership under Dr Akeredolu has overseen notable achievements, but a substantive board with a clear mandate and stable leadership would provide the continuity and accountability needed to build on those gains. As the administration prepares to inaugurate the board, the coming weeks will determine whether the new composition reflects the expertise and commitment required to deliver on the governor's promise of deeper investment and improved healthcare for all residents of Ondo State.
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