It is an inarguable fact that besides ill-health situation, nothing can be more worrisome than lack of medical facilities. Ask those who have suffered ill health and have no choice than to go to government public hospitals and feel what their response would sound like.
In Adamawa, some hospitals are seriously sick like visitors-patients. There you can see the crumbling health facilities, the pathetic situation, endemic problems faced by patients and hospital staff alike. The various complaints may likely force one to ask whether those in the helm of affairs are aware of the situation on the ground.
In some hospitals visited which include Numan General Hospital, one of the oldest hospitals in the state, the facilities fit a pre-mortuary standard if such exist, custom-made for those awaiting their inevitable death.
However, not only is there dearth of personnel, in these hospitals but essentials drugs and other surgical gloves are lacking in virtually all the hospitals when Weekly Trust visited. Not to talk of inadequate beds plus the mattresses that are old.
For instance, in Numan General Hospital, relatives nursing their sick ones have to stay with them to fan them and attend to their menial needs as well.
One of the relations spoken to lamented that the wards remain without power or water supply, ‘’ It’s an unfortunate situation that we have to contend with. As relations, we have to hang around with our sick ones to fan them because no power and even the electric fan are grossly inadequate,’’ said the relative.
Weekly Trust also gathered in the hospital that sometimes, one nurse attends to over 30 patients without the support of a single ward attendant or cleaner.
‘’You see I can confidently tell you that shifts and day-offs do not necessarily apply in this hospital because the staff strength is grossly inadequate,’’ one of the medical staff has revealed.
The sources further explained that for numerous out-patients seek medical attention, especially from villages, there are only four doctors to attend to them.
Already, the problem of insufficient water has since created a miasma of malodorous pungency that fumed the nose whenever one approaches the wards.
If you are not satisfied with the pathetic situation, just enter the maternity ward and see wonders. In this maternity ward, new born babies are exposed to contagious diseases borne by grown-ups. The toilets are even worse to see; no water nor disinfectants and very few attendants to man them.
However, investigations by Weekly Trust have revealed that the contract for the renovation of this dilapidated hospital was awarded to a son of the soil, Lawrence Ngballe in 2004.
‘’The contract went bad, only recently we are trying to review the contract from the initial sum of N275m, because it will require some architectural changes. In addition to that, early this year we have assessed what the hospital will need structurally. The government is going to improve the buildings; we have awarded the contract to Lawrence Ngballe. I can assure you that the next few months if you go back to Numan you will see changes in the hospital,’’ a top government official had said.
The story seems to be the same in most of the hospital. It is common scene to see the nurses gisting or knitting under the shed of trees in most of them.
As in Numan, the Mubi General Hospital also lacks power and adequate water supply. They depend on water hawkers who are everywhere in the hospital.
Weekly Trust gathered that the Pharmaceutical department operates at the mercy of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO).
Like in other local government areas, in front of the hospitals are private Chemists, Pharmacy or medicine stores that do brisk business since patients have no choice but to buy most of the drugs from these shops.
In the home town of the state governor, Mayo-Balwa, though a new hospital is being built, the cottage hospital is seriously sick as the absence of wire-gauzes on the windows to at least limit the number of insects flying into this mosquito infested area is another problem of concern.
The hospital is blessed with surplus broken glasses and window-panes; patients lie unprotected from the dusty winds and rain splashes.
When contacted, the state commissioner for Health, Dr Lawan Hamidu confirmed to newsmen that there was general shortage of nurses and doctors in the state health facilities but was quick to say that the problem is not only limited to Adamawa state.
“It is a situation that affects the whole health system in the federation. For us here in Adamawa state, we are doing our best really to improve. People should appreciate the efforts being made by this administration to improve health care services.’’
“All of us know what the health services were and what is available today. This government embarked on the construction of a brand new diagnostic centre which is obtained in everywhere you go in this part of the world. We are also building new General Hospitals in Mayo Balwa, one being renovated at Borrong and the other in Michika, while the cottage hospital in Hong has been upgraded to a General hospital,’’ he said.
While the health commissioner kept assuring that all will be well, people of Jada and its environs hope that serious attention will be given to their only hospital yet to be completed for nearly ten years.
By Ibrahim Abdul’Aziz from Yola
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