Ondo State is turning to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for salvation as its public hospitals reel under an acute shortage of doctors, nurses, and other health professionals.
The Chairman of the State Hospitals Management Board, Olusegun Victor Ategbole, has called for the deployment of corps members trained in medicine and health sciences to hospitals across the state.
Speaking during a visit to the NYSC orientation camp in Ikare-Akoko, Akoko North-East Local Government Area, Ategbole insisted that the move would ease the strain on the state’s fragile healthcare system and improve patient care.
The intervention, he noted, aligns with Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s OUR EASE agenda, which prioritises reforms in the health sector. He later convened a meeting with top hospital managers to determine where corps members could be most useful.
“Secondary health institutions are in dire need of manpower. Deploying NYSC medical corps will give short-term relief while we work on sustainable solutions,” Ategbole said.
Across the state, however, hospitals remain overwhelmed, with patients enduring long waits and health workers stretched to breaking point.
Critics warn that depending on inexperienced corps members to fill such a critical gap could compromise patient safety, while others argue it may be the only lifeline until the state fixes its deepening manpower crisis.
If successful, the plan could shorten queues, speed up treatment, and reduce the crushing workload borne by the few doctors and nurses left in the system.
