Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state has said that he will not leave unpaid salaries for his successor after his tenure

Akeredolu who said he had vowed not to owe workers’ salary pointed out that the Covid-19 pandemic affected the finance of the state badly and hindered regular payment of salaries.

He said this during the Ondo State Health Summit held in Akure, the state capital.

Although he noted that his predecessor left unpaid seven months salaries, Akeredolu, however, promised that all salaries arrears presently owed workers in the state will be paid.

“I am glad to inform you that we made giant strides in all of these areas. Unfortunately, COVID-19 Pandemic came in the third year into our First Term with its attendant economic crisis which has since put governments across the world in financial straitjackets.

“Notwithstanding the precarious situation we inherited in 2017, you will recall that we had settled six of the seven months arrears of salaries.

We employed and have continued to employ qualified personnel for our primary, secondary and tertiary health care facilities. We equally brought in several containers of hospital equipment worth billions of naira from the United States.

“Again, we established Teaching Hospital Complexes in both Akure and Ondo city as well as established the Contributory Health Insurance Commission among other achievements that are well known to most of our health sector practitioners in the State.

He said his administration is determined to sustain and continually improve on efforts at delivering effective and qualitative health care and social welfare services to the people.

The governor stated that efforts are in top gear to continually employ qualified personnel for primary, secondary and tertiary health care facilities.

He said that shipments of several containers of hospital equipment worth billions of naira had been brought in to the state from the United States.

It is trite knowledge that no government anywhere in the world can claim to have done or achieved it all, especially within the context of a changing world and within the perspective of the theme of this summit.

Akeredolu noted that” It is for this and many other reasons that the decision to focus on the challenges facing our health care delivery system as a government is well thought out”

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Mrs Folukemi Aladenola said the health summit in the state is intended to tap into the experience of experts in the medical profession, policymakers, technocrats and critical stakeholders in the health sector towards updating the health policy in the state.