By; DAHIRU SULEIMAN, Dutse
At a time when Maryam Abacha American University of Niger conferred an ” Exceptional Leadership Award on Governor Muhammad Badaru in recognition of his administration’s strides in excellent performance in the health sector, most of the state’s health facilities are in shambles.
Investigations conducted by New Nigerian revealed that most of the state’s general hospitals are devoid of competent doctors, medication, and staff nurses.
It revealed that most of the state’s general hospitals are in need of manpower development, medication, staff nurses, as most hospitals rely on Youth Corps members and internship students of the state’s health Institutions.
For example, the Hadejia General Hospital, overseeing over a hundred patients is left with on only two competent doctors, the CMD and one other without enough medication, qualify and competent nurses.
The story was the same at Dutse General Hospital with only one competent doctor in addition to lack of assorted drugs, nurses, beds, and one grounded standby power generating set for over three years without repairs nor replacement, among other predicaments.
Dr. Bashir Dutse, the hospital’s CMD when contacted for further comments, declined to utter a word to our correspondent.
He said, “I am not mandated to grant press interview.”
He referred our correspondent to the acting Commissioner of Health, Dr. Salisu Muazu.
Other general hospitals in Gwaram, Kazaure, Gumel, Sule-Tankarkar among others, are also facing inadequate manpower development, poor operational facilities, medication, beds and lack of standby generating sets.
Contacted, the acting Commissioner of Health, Dr. Salisu Muazu debunked all the submissions, saying, “we are doing our best in ameliorating our predicaments as far as health issues are concerned.
“Agreed we are faced with little shortages of manpower development in some of our hospitals, but we are on top of the situation as said by Dr. Muazu.
“On shortage of drugs, we are trying to integrate our drugs revolving fund strategy in ensuring we equip and provide most of our hospitals with adequate and available drugs, among other health centres across Jigawa State.”
On the award bestowed on Jigawa State Governor, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, he restated his administration’s commitment to the emergence of “New Jigawa State” in areas of improving the health sector effectively.
Badaru in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant (Print Media), Ahmad Muhammad Danyaro, made available in Dutse on Thursday while receiving an “Exceptional Leadership Award” in recognition of the administration’s excellent performance and giant strides in the health sector by Maryam Abatcha American University of Niger, said health sector in the state is being improved.
The Governor further stated that it is gratifying to see in “The New Jigawa State the state is improving in key development Indices among states of the federation and indigenes of the state are doing excellently well in their field of chosen endeavours all over the country and beyond”
He commended the leader of the delegation, Ado Shehu Ringim for choosing the state for the students internship training, which has enriched the state’s health manpower despite interests from other states.
”This university is important to us. By choosing five heads of departments who are sons of Jigawa State. The Speaker of Jigawa State, Chairman House Committee on Health and many other senior officials are products of Maryam Abatcha American University Niger,” ’Badaru stated.
Speaking on the award, Gov. Abubakar appreciated the university for recognizing his modest efforts in repositioning the health sector in Jigawa State, assuring that the award will spur his administration to continue with his selfless service to the people and humanity in all sectors.
In his remarks before presenting the award to Governor Badaru , leader of the delegation, Ado Shehu Ringim said that Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar has remained consistent in his demonstration of unconventional courage in serving Jigawa State since coming to office in 2015 .
