Addressing Healthcare Challenges in JigawaAddressing Healthcare Challenges in Jigawa A delegation from the House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Institutions visited Jigawa State to assess challenges facing healthcare facilities in the region. Led by Dr. Amos Gomna Magaji, the committee highlighted the need to address labor shortages, inadequate financing, and other issues. The committee pledged to close the gap in healthcare services, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing federal health institutions and ensuring they receive adequate resources. Specifically, they expressed concern over the delay in employment waivers and pledged to take action to prevent it from recurring. During their visit, the committee visited the Nguru, Azare, Rasheed Shekoni Federal University Teaching Hospital in Dutse, and Birnin-Kudu Federal Medical Center. Directors of these institutions presented their 2023 budget commitments and highlighted their ongoing constraints. The Birnin-Kudu Federal Medical Center expressed its gratitude to the National Assembly for providing clinical staff and identified challenges including unpaid outsourced services, lack of internal road infrastructure, and outdated equipment. The committee emphasized the need to regularize employment for healthcare workers and pledged to address the issue of labor shortages. They also encouraged the management of the Birnin-Kudu Federal Medical Center to continue appreciating the support from the National Assembly and to prioritize the provision of essential healthcare services to Nigerians. Through their oversight visit, the House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Institutions aims to improve the quality of healthcare services in Jigawa State and address the concerns of healthcare professionals and patients alike.
The visiting members of the House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Institutions have championed the Nguru, Azare, Rasheed Shekoni Federal University Teaching Hospital, Dutse and Birnin-Kudu Federal Medical Center teaching hospitals in areas where there is a shortage of labor, inadequate financing and other problems.
The committee also pledged to close the gap to improve the quality of services. Chairman of the committee, Dr. Amos Gomna Magaji, representative of Zangon-Kataf-Jaba Federal Constituency in Kaduna State, informed that the committee was in the state to assess most of the issues facing the health institutions and look at their budgetary commitments and implementation to address most tackle challenges.
Speaking further on their mission to Jigawa State, Hon. Gomna said, “Our mission is to monitor the hospitals, take stock of their budgetary expenditures and implementations and identify their constraints with a view to resolving them for improved service delivery.
According to Hon. Amos Gomna, it was necessary for the federal government to prioritize its health institutions, adequately meeting their needs in terms of financing, availability of various medicines and qualified medical personnel who will staff specific departments in most teaching hospitals.
On the labor shortage, the lawmaker questioned why health care facilities would have to apply for an employment waiver and a state government unit would hold it for months without responding, a situation he said was frowned upon by the commission and “we will say no to such abnormal behavior and it will never happen again in this country,” he said.
Adding: “For example, this hospital – Rasheed Shekoni Federal University Teaching Hospital, Dutse, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for over three years to transfer the hospital’s staff to a federal government facility, but the bureaucracy has downplayed
“We will ensure that their employment is regularised. This is because the National Assembly has budgeted money for hospital overhead costs, but we don’t know what the problem actually was.”
During the oversight visit by the eight-member health committee, the directors of the two health institutions – Dr Adamu Abdullahi Atterwamie of Birnin-Kudu Federal Medical Centre and his colleague at Rasheed Shekoni Federal University Teaching Hospitals, Dutse – made presentations highlighting their 2023 budget commitments in various areas and highlighting their constraints going forward.
The MD of Birnin-Kudu Federal Medical Centre reiterated that the management of the hospital will continue to appreciate the efforts of the National Assembly in expanding the needed clinical staff to ensure continued provision of needed services to Nigerians.
On the challenges, Dr. Attawame expressed the huge liability looming over the Birnin-Kudu Federal Medical Centre, including payment of outsourced services for the period 2017 to 2021.
He said the hospital has no internal road network apart from the 1km road constructed by the Federal Ministry of Works. There is a shortage of manpower and equipment has become obsolete since the hospital was established during the demise of the Northern Regional Government.
