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The Osun State House of Assembly is set to enact a law that would prevent doctors in the employment of the state government from having private hospitals.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon. Timothy Owoeye, stated this at the turning of the sod for the extension of the state specialist hospital, Asubiaro, Osogbo.
Owoeye said only doctors that have put in 20 years in the public service would be exempted when the law takes effect.
According to him, most of the workers in the state health sector have supported the government in its bid to provide quality health care for the people but said some were still frustrating the efforts.
Reacting to the plan, the Chairman, National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners(NAGGMDP), Osun State chapter, Dr. Olufemi Oroge, urged the Assembly to exercise restraint in the process.
He contended that if the welfare of doctors in the employment of the state government had been well catered for, many of them would not engage in private practice. He called for a holistic approach in addressing issues in the sector.
Oroge called for dialogue on the issue with a view to arriving at a mutually-beneficial position, adding that private practice by state doctors had been the sole reason why many of them had not left the state for greener pastures.