By Adebayo Olodan
The battle for who succeeds the incumbent Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) has started in earnest, four months to the expiration of the tenure of Prof Abdulwaheed Olajide Olatinwo.
According to a source within UITH who does not wish to be named, no fewer than four professors have signified interest in the apex position at the facility.
Leading the list of those vying for the position of CMD is the Chairman of the Advisory Committee, Prof Yinka Buhari, Prof Abdullah Da Silva Yussuf of the Behavioural Sciences Dept, an Obstetrician/Gynaecologist, Prof AbdulGafar Jimoh, and Prof. I.A Katibi.
Among the aforementioned, Yusuf is highly favoured as he was a frontrunner before the emergence of Olatinwo, eight years ago.
Come April 2018, Olatinwo would be completing another four years of his second tenure as the CMD of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.
Under his leadership, UITH has made some giant strides notably are renal transplant, open heart surgeries and the first InVitro Fertilisation (IVF).
Also, Olatinwo facilitated the movement of College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin to the UITH permanent site just as he established Dental and Stroke Palliative Care in addition to the Reproductive Technology units. UITH also did 275 free surgeries for patients in nine months sometimes in 2016 just as he founded the Geriatric Clinic dedicated to providing sound healthcare for the elderly in the society.
Under his administration, the CMD also built Cardiothoracic, Malaria Research, Infection Control and Behavioural Sciences centres. Added to the aforesaid is the Trauma Centre which was built and donated by Yusuf Olaolu Ali, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) under Olatinwo’s administration.
Speaking on the imminent departure of Olatinwo, the source said, “It is true the tenure of our CMD will be coming to an end in April. That will make it eight years that he took charge of the facility and he has done his bit in moving UITH forward.
“In terms of achievements, it was under his watch we did open heart operation and kidney transplant at subsidised rate. Also, we now have some new blocks and departments at UITH which he facilitated,” the source divulged.
He however said Olatinwo would have recorded more feats but for a number of industrial disputes occasioned by poor condition of service which according to the source is not peculiar to UITH.
“There were too many strikes under his administration. The issue of poor welfare of workers, inadequate power supply and scarcity of water among others led to the incessant industrial action under Olatinwo. However, I must state that the problems are not peculiar to UITH or the CMD’s tenure but a national issue which should be addressed urgently,” the source submitted.
Recall that patients were left at the mercy of private hospitals in Kwara State after employees of UITH embarked on 107 days strike in 2016.
