Governor Ademola Adeleke has dismissed comments credited to former Commissioner for Finance and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Bola Oyebamiji, on the state of healthcare in Osun, describing them as baseless and misleading.

The governor said Oyebamiji’s remarks only exposed what he called the growing disconnect between the opposition and the realities on ground in the state.

Adeleke said Osun currently ranks number one in the South-West in the provision of primary healthcare services, noting that the feat was achieved from 2024 under his administration.

He faulted the record of the previous APC-led government, under which Oyebamiji served, saying Osun was nowhere near the top 10 states in healthcare performance at the time.

According to him, more than 200 primary healthcare centres have been renovated across the state, with another phase of renovation ongoing.

The governor alleged that the APC candidate was part of a committee that mismanaged a $20 million World Bank grant meant for the renovation of primary healthcare centres during the last administration.

He said his government has upgraded hospitals with modern medical equipment and facilities, including the procurement of advanced operating materials, digital medical devices, and diagnostic equipment such as genotype machines and digital X-ray printers.

Adeleke listed other interventions to include the establishment of renal dialysis services through a Public–Private Partnership arrangement, provision of air conditioners for clinical units through donor support, establishment of a theatre pharmacy, procurement of a mini-bus for hospital operations, and the ongoing construction of a 10-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

He added that the Imole Medical Outreach programmes have benefitted nearly 100,000 residents, while indigent patients requiring surgeries were attended to across the nine federal constituencies, with more interventions planned for 2026.

The governor said two General Hospitals have also been approved for renovation, with more upgrades to follow.

On workers’ welfare, Adeleke accused the previous APC administration of treating medical professionals poorly, saying his government has restored the dignity of healthcare workers.

He said Osun became the first state in the country to implement the Medical Residency Training Fund in a state-owned teaching hospital, adding that his administration also approved new hazard and accoutrement allowances, implemented the new minimum wage, granted a 50 per cent tax waiver on call duty and shift allowances, and ensured one-for-one replacement of doctors.

Other measures, according to him, include the renovation of doctors’ call rooms, regularisation of unconfirmed staff from the 2012 and 2013 employment batches, promotion exercises for nurses and other staff, increment in allowances for contract staff and visiting consultants, wage improvements for casual workers, and payment of outstanding debts to pharmaceutical suppliers.

While describing the achievements as only highlights of his administration’s scorecard in the health sector, Adeleke said Oyebamiji should be ashamed of the records of the government in which he was a key actor.

He said Osun’s healthcare reforms have been validated by the state’s victory in the Primary Health Care Challenge in 2024 and 2025.

The governor also accused Oyebamiji of being part of efforts to financially strangulate Osun, wondering how someone allegedly working against the state’s progress could still make promises to medical professionals who, he said, are currently benefitting from the present administration.