By Suleiman Maijama’a
Despite the saying “Health is first, money is second”, it is unfortunate how the sector is taken for granted, handled recklessly and given less priority by some States, left as worthless as a waste dump. Before now, the health sector in Bauchi State wore this ugly face as it was numbered among the weakest in the nation.
Obstacles ranging from poor infrastructure, lack of sophisticated medical equipments, lack of an enabling environment for effective service delivery, poor remuneration of medical staff among others, resulted to brain drain in the sector, thereby plunging it into decay.
The condition was so bad that patients used to be admitted in the public hospitals’ compound. Some Bauchi State residents had to travel to Kano, Kaduna, Gombe and other neighbouring States to seek medical treatments.
During his electioneering campaign, Senator Bala Mohammed did not suppress his anger over the scandalous condition of the health system in the state. He did not mince word when he condemned the unfortunate situation and attributed it to the recklessness, negligence and unpatriotism of the then APC led administration, despite making mouthwatering promises. Senator Bala resolved to make a difference and change the narrative, if given the mandate.
Many people, especially his opponents considered it as beating his drum and his utterances as a mere political ploy, orchestrated by the desperation to wrest power from his predecessor. Fortunately, he won and on assumption of office as the Executive Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed has taken an avid interest in the health sector in an effort to keep his words and justify the confidence bestowed on him by the good people of the State who turned out in mass and voted him into power.
The Governor immediately sought a stronger and sustained collaboration with the World Health Organization and over 20 other International Development Partners and Donor Agencies working in the State.
The bond according to Governor Bala was in order to “move Bauchi from one of the poorest states in the country to the best 5 within the next 4 years.” To achieve this laudable goal, the Governor has set up a multilateral desk domicile in his office with the sole objective of strengthening collaboration with development partners.
This collaboration has since yielded positive outcomes which includes the actualization of a robust infrastructure for Polio eradication and immunization, strengthening the healthcare system, as well as Malaria, Tuberculosis, Leprosy projects, and disease outbreak response.
Additionally, the World Health Organization owing to the collaboration with the State Government, is supporting the strengthening of the healthcare system in the areas of capacity building, accreditation of the State’s School of Nursing and Midwifery, provision of two buses among other things.
The Governor recently proved his determined stride towards revitalising the health sector in the State, by renovating and completing the State’s College of Nursing and Midwifery. The College was built to stand the test of time, equipped with sophisticated facilities and provided with necessary infrastructure for the smooth operations of the College.
Again, some Primary Health Centres have been constructed across the State and those already in existence have been modernized. This mission accomplished by the Governor is out of his passion to help in producing young capable hands that are likely to rise and shine at the global scene. It will also go a long way to provide young girls with the opportunity to actualise their dreams of becoming skilled and qualified nurses and midwives to fill the gaps in various hospitals and clinics in the State.
On the other hand, to prove beyond reasonable doubt that health is indisputably among his topmost priorities, Senator Bala Mohammed is the only Governor among his counterparts in the Northeast region to meet the African Union Abuja Declaration of 15 per cent budget for the health sector in 2020 budget. In the same vein, despite the unplanned coming of the novel Corona Virus, he spends more than N15 million weekly to fight the disease. This fund is used for healthcare workers’ allowances, contact tracing, surveillance, case management, risk communication, logistics and supply, infection prevention and coordination.
Additionally, upon the emergence of the virus, Governor Bala had to horridly provide a 100-bed facility renovated at Bayara General Hospital, 80-bed facility at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, 40- bed facility at the Specialists Hospital and Federal Medical Center, Azare in order to ensure that the safety of his people is guaranteed. He further actualised the renovation of two wards which have been equipped through the intervention of the 100 beds at Toro General Hospital, provision of a Special Treatment Center at the Teaching Hospital for severe cases with 8 ventilators and other facilities for the management of emergency cases.
Moreover, to ensure that he fights the Covid-19 pandemic, the Governor, right from the onset of the pandemic has commenced payment of special allowances to health workers assigned to manage and treat the Covid-19 patients in the State. The State government is paying the doctors attending to the patients N50,000, N30,000 and N20,000 as special allowances depending on the cadres of the officers. And has provided adequate personal protective equipment fir the health personnel at each of the isolation centres.
Considering the difficulties faced by health officials in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic, where sample had to be taken to Abuja and later to Plateau for testing, Governor Bala Mohammed struggled all he could in collaboration with the North East Development Commission (NEDC) and the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) to actualize a Molecular Laboratory in the State for testing of COVID-19, Lassa fever, Yellow fever and other hemorrhagic diseases. This development has, henceforth, brought to an end the daunting tasks and the challenges of taking Covid-19 samples to Abuja and Jos.
The Governor, as part of his administration’s policy, has ensured that workers in the health care sector were properly trained and equipped with commensurate tools to deliver their responsibilities. This efforts has enticed an Abuja based Organization, Lautech Solutions Limited to donate hospital equipment worth over 250 million naira to the State government to consolidate its stride in that regard. The Chairman of the Organization, Alhaji Hussaini Bokane said “the gesture was to complement Governor Bala’s quest to reinvigorate the healthcare sector and address mindboggling challenges.”
On the issue of consistent power supply in hospitals in the State which was bedevilling the smooth conduct of medical affairs, the Governor has changed the narrative by ensuring 24hr uninterrupted power supply in all Public hospitals across the State with a view to enhancing effective healthcare delivery.
In recognition of the amazing metamorphosis, the health system in Bauchi State is undergoing under the able leadership of Governor Bala Mohammed, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire; Stephen M. Haykin of USAID; Dr Peter Hawkins of UNICEF; Aliko Dangote of the Aliko Dangote Foundation; Faisal Shuaibu of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency and the Emir of Dass, Alhaji Usman Bilyaminu Othman, among other dignitaries applauded the State Government for the job well done and called for collective and redoubled efforts to raise the bar of the success for others to emulate.
Maijama’a writes from Bayero University, Kano
