Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has pledged his administration’s readiness to review the salaries of medical and dental officers serving with the state to reflect the prevailing economic situation in the country. He made the pledge in Ibadan on Tuesday while receiving the executive members of the Association of Medical and Dental Officers of Oyo State during a courtesy call on him in his office. Governor Ajimobi also reiterated the commitment of his government to promote healthcare delivery through the provision of necessary medical equipment to hospitals and giving adequate encouragement to medical personnel in the state.

He commended the association for supporting the government in its development programmes which he attributed to the peace and progress being witnessed in various parts of the state, urging the association to come up with ideas that would bring further improvement to the healthcare delivery system in the state. ``I want to commend you for your cooperation with the government which has allowed peace in the state, and the development that has taken place. Our development, in terms of infrastructure in Oyo State, is unprecedented in the history of this State and the whole world is attesting to it. ``I must say that all these could not have been achieved without your support, understanding and sacrifices,’’ he said.

Governor Ajimobi said that his administration would not relent in its efforts to better the lots of the people of the state, calling on well-meaning Nigerians to partner with the government, especially in the provision of basic health services as government alone cannot provide all the needed medical services in the state. ``We have a transparent, efficient, accountable and people-oriented government but no matter how much we do, we must expect criticism; we must expect opposition and they do exist and we also exist but our concern is to do our best to promote the progress and happiness of the majority of our people. ``This is the essence of governance; you can assist the government by bringing up ideas on how to identify areas that need attention and improvement,’’ he said. Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the association, Dr. Fola Oni, had commended the Ajimobi administration for improving the health status of the people of the state through improved environmental sanitation and effective waste disposal system. Dr. Oni also called for the review of the edict establishing the state Hospitals Management Board, so as to create semi-autonomy for state-owned hospitals and to allow the board to play only administrative roles in the state health sector. He also called for the review of the salaries of medical personnel in the state.