On Tuesday, Dr. Sadiq Salako, the Minister of State for Health, visited the newly constructed National Orthopaedic Hospital in Ogheghe, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area in Benin City, Edo State.
He encouraged hospital employees to stay at the hospital where they have been employed in order to contribute to the nation’s development rather than using it as a means of escaping.
Salako asserted that they owned the nation and that it was their responsibility to work together to make it function rather than emigrate elsewhere. “For those of us who are recently hired, please let us remain committed to our country,” the minister stated. Let’s show the nation our patriotism. Let us not because of economic crises alone abandon our country, and japa, as they say.
“I want to come back and see that all the people that are newly employed remain in the service of this hospital serving our country because nobody is going to come to build this country for us.
“If we don’t do it ourselves, when we go, we still come back and meet it the way we have left it. So I want to encourage all of you to remain committed, to remain patriotic and serve Nigeria intelligently.”
“The reform that Mr. President is doing is a reform for the betterment of our country. I can assure you that we are turning the corner and things are getting better. Very soon, things will get much, much and much better”, Dr. Salako said .
“Not only are we citing this national hospital in the South-South here in Benin, before coming here, I was at the National Obstetrics Fistula Centre.”
Dr. Philip Ugbodaga, the hospital’s Medical Director (MD), earlier commended President Tinubu for his efforts to ensure that health care is a top priority for his administration. He also added that no country can advance if it does not invest in its citizens’ health and education.
According to Dr. Ugbodaga, since the infrastructure was put in place, every effort has been made to make sure that the goal of providing healthcare for Nigerians takes precedence. The only things that remain to be installed are electrical fittings, the connection to the national grid, a few structural elements, and painting.
He said “It is our plea, our minister, that with your full support, we are highly and very hopeful that very soon, those few structural things that needed to be done are completed in this hospital so that full clinical services will commence”.
