Pensioners Collapse During Screening In Osun

…Govt should decentralise process to prevent avoidable deaths – Retirees

Pensioners in Osun State have appealed to the State government to decentralise the ongoing screening of its workforce including retirees.

The call became necessary as some of the aged retirees collapsed on Monday within the premises of the Center for Black Culture and International Understanding, Osogbo, venue of the ongoing screening.

It took the intervention of the medics of the State Ambulance Service to revive and stablise the victims.

Retirees, numbering about 2,000 old men and women who are visibly aged, frail and in some cases sick, were at the venue for the screening exercise.

A number of them who could not withstand long time standing were seen either, lying down, sleeping or sitting on the bare floor to avoid eventuality.

Many of the pensioners were visibly angry for what they described as inhuman treatment by the handlers of the exercise.

Sunday Omotosho decried the arrangement and the eventual treatments of his colleagues who came for the exercise from across the State.

Though, he agreed that the exercise as sanctioned by the State government was desirable, but was of the opinion that the process would have been made easier if it were to be done on local government or zonal basis.

As at press time, the exercise was yet to commence as the consultant in charge, Saadat Bakri-Ottun was yet to arrive the venue, hence the wait prolonged.

The staff audit was earlier suspended for weeks by the state House of Assembly over inhuman treatment meted to the civil servants by the consultant, but the suspension was lifted after she promised to correct her mistakes.