By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri-
The Borno State Government has promised to improve the quality of health care service delivery in the state’s owned hospitals.
Professor Isa Marte, The Chief of Staff to the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, gave the pledge on Friday when he paid a courtsey visit to The State’s Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri.
Professor Marte, who was received by the Permanent Secretary of the Borno State Ministry of Health, Dr. Mohammed Ghuluze as well as The Medical Director of The State Specialist Hospital, Dr. Laraba Ahmed Bello, presided over a meeting at the conference room of the hospital .
Speaking at the meeting, the Medical Director, explained that the hospital which is one of the largest in the State, is confronted with the problems of low bed space capacity, power supply, inadequate doctors and other medical health professionals, security personnel, shortage of drugs, lab facilities, among others.
Responding, The Chief of Staff, who requested the MD to make formal submissions on the problems affecting the hospital, expressed his readiness to look into all their submissions with a view to solving them.
Professor Marte, however directed that henceforth all doctors in the ministries and other government agencies should spend one day working in the hospitals, pending the recruitment of more doctors to cater for the population.
On issue of drugs shortage, he said the State Government has disbursed the sum of over N350 million under the ‘Ministry of Health Save One Million Lives Programme’, to buy drugs that would cater for the demands of the Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri.
On the issue of patients overload, Professor Marte said the State Government is working very hard to solve the problems by building more primary health care centres in different localities.
“As regards electricity supply, I have directed the Permanent Secretary to immediately supply the required diesel in order for the hospital to function effectively. This is because, power supply in the hospital must be for 24/7 not 15,16 or 18 hours a day. The government will not joke with hospitals and more especially what affects the health of our people and it is because of this, that we are not much concern with the amount the Hospital will spend on diesel”.
“In addition , the Ministry will supply additional generators to the hospital, apart from the one I recently ordered for the hospital which has since been delivered and installed”, he added.
The COS further promised to repair faulty generators to serve as a backup, while advising the Management of the State Specialist Hospital to adopt solar power technology as another means of finding solution to the power outage in the hospital.
In addressing the shortage of medical persons, The Health Commissioner disclosed that The State Government has recruited more qualified doctors with improved salary payments and allowances, while calling on indigenous doctors serving in other states to come home and render their health services to the state.
DISCLAIMER
The OPINION / COLUMN is authored by independent contributors to the National Accord Newspaper. While contributors adhere to our editorial guidelines, they are not employed by the National Accord Newspaper. The perspectives and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of the National Accord Newspaper or its staff.