Governor Darius Ishaku has said that his main preoccupations in the health sector is the provision of modern equipment and adequate staffing. He noted that this is better than spending fortunes on big but “empty” structures.
In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Emmanuel Bello, Ishaku said it is now global best practice to have modest structures for health care delivery but equipped to the hilt. The governor observed that a personal experience he had before becoming governor shocked him and shook him to the crisis of lack of equipment in the hospitals.
He said, “that day, I made up my mind that this is one thing I would rescue Taraba state from if given the chance. I lost a close person to me at the Wukari General Hospital. He died of wounds from gun shots due to delays to get the right medication. Today, we are changing the story in Wukari. The location of the Wukari hospital is okay. The structure is not bad but recall that it is over five decades old. It was built in the 60s. Apart from some renovations during the Barde and the Nyame years, the structure has remained untouched. There is no need of building a new one. What we are doing is redoing the place and equipping it for full capacity. We intend to have modern ultra sounds facilities in place and some real modern gadgets. The theater would undergo a transformation with new beds.”
The governor also noted that the Takum hospital is going to be equipped to make it viable. Although a new maternity is being put up, the government is equipping the hospital. He same it is the same thing for the hospital at Gembu and Bambur.
Ishaku said, “in my visit to Kenya, I saw many magnificent things. At the Nakuru province, we saw hospitals that don’t look splendid in looks but go in there and see the quality of the equipment: beds, medical gadgets and all. We are replicating that here in Taraba. It is not about structures but the effectiveness of the equipment therein. And we are not sparing any cost in ensuring our hospitals are first class.”
Corroborating the governor’s position, Commissioner of Health, Dr. Vakkai, said that the crisis of nurses shortage has been solved. He said, ” the governor secured the accreditation we have been looking for for ten years now. He also approved the appointment of 109 nurses. He also extended the tenure of those whose tenure has expired. Don’t forget the 51 nurses he pulled back from retirement and has engaged on contract terms.”
