The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has said that it would employ 500 health professionals to improve service delivery to residents and visitors of the Territory.
Secretary, Health and Human Service Secretariat, Adamu Abubakar Bappah dropped this hint during inspection of FCTA hospitals and other health facilities in Kubwa General Hospital.
The Secretary revealed this while responding to requests on employment of more staff for the hospitals, a request that was also made by all the generally hospitals visited by the Secretary and his teams, with a special request for priority to be given to locum or casual staff already rendering services to the hospitals.
Bappah who disclosed that the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello has already given the Secretariat go ahead to employ, however, appealed for patience from job seekers, explaining that not all of them from the FCTA’s 14 hospitals would be absorbed because their number was quite high. He added that other Nigerians too would be considered.
On the abandoned accidents and emergency unit in Bwari General Hospital, Bappah said he relied on a suggestion from Head of Works, Hospital Management Board, Effiong Ita to revoke and re-award the project, adding that the earlier contractor died.
He directed that representatives of the late contractor be called for a meeting with the view to revoking and reawarding it.
In all the hospitals that requested expansion and acquisition of modern facilities to shore up service delivery, the Secretary pointed out that most of the hospitals lacked space for expansion, promised that the Administration would consult with appropriate authorities with a view to expanding the structures.
Bappah also paid homage to traditional leaders of Bwari: Sarkin Bwari, Awwal Musa Ijakoro II, and Esu of Bwari, Ibrahim D. Yaro (JP), and solicited their cooperation and support for government hospitals within their domain, which they all obliged and promised to sensitise their subjects on the need to visit only hospitals for treatment and births.
The team never had it tough until it got to the palace of the Agaba of Jiwa, Alhaji Idris Musa. The fearless and flamboyant royal father who does not mince words, almost scolded the team and the FCT Administration, accusing them of abandoning his ancient chiefdom in the provision of basic amenities, especially health facility.
The royal father urged the FCTA to provide his area with at least a secondary hospital.
He said, “It is a shame that as a polio ambassador, I do not have any hospital within my domain. My people are dying, our women and children are dying, and the government is not doing anything. Look at the access road, in case of emergency, how can anyone survive in trying to access Kubwa or Gwarinpa general hospitals.
“And this is where you have the international timber and building materials market and others. Railway is just 5km away from here.”
Speaking on plans by the FCTA to relocate him, the royal father warned: “Then you want us to move to where? It will be anarchy because there will be problems between us and the people already living where you want to take us to. We are not going anywhere. We want integration”.
According to rhe traditiinal leader, lack of government healtj facility within his area has been responsible for proliferation of quack health personnel such as pharmacists, medicine stores and even medical doctors, whom apart from worsening his people’s health conditions, carry abortions, which sometimes led to death.
The traditional ruler also regretted that Jiwa chiefdom which dates back to 1450 and has a clinic which was established in 1944, but has not been improved upon and has become grossly inadequate due to population increase.
The royal father therefore tasked the Secretary to quickly apprehend and punish, particulrly the two identified offenders in Jiwa, one of whom the Agaba revealed was suspected to be the same one who disappeared from Kwali and ran to Jiwa to continue his quack practice when authorities clamped down on such illegal practice there, following an earlier tip of from the Etsu of Kwali, Dr. Shaban Audu Nizazo III during a recent visit.
The Secretary therefore directed the relevant authority to investigate, fish out and punish the offenders accordingly.
While responding, Bappah pledged: “Your requests will be looked into with all seriousness”, adding that he would table same, and those of other traditional rulers and medical directors, to the FCT Minister for further action.
Bappah also commissioned a newly constructed pharmacy unit at Gwarinpa General Hospital and charged the staff to continue to support the medical directors in the delivery of health care service to the people.