Gaidam: Raising standard of health delivery services

While killer diseases such as meningitis, polio and malaria are ravaging parts of the North due to neglect by governments, the Yobe state Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, is giving priority to the health of the people through free and accessible quality healthcare delivery in all nooks and crannies of the state. MUSA M. BUBA reports
Background Indeed food, shelter and clothing are basic human needs but without good health, they mean nothing.
That might explain why Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe state, is focusing on accessible health delivery services in the state. Since the administration of Ibrahim Gaidam came to power almost 10 years ago, his government has continued to touch lives in different sectors despite the challenges of insurgency in which many structures including hospitals and clinics were burnt down.
The efforts made in providing healthcare delivery have written the governor’s name with a bold ink in the history of the state and even among governments in the country. Establishment of teaching hospital In his quest to providing healthcare services and train indigenous doctors, the governor established, constructed and furnished the Yobe State Teaching Hospital at the cost of N5.5billion. According to records available to Blueprint, in order to commence medical courses at the College of Medicine of the Yobe State University, which has been completed, approval was granted to recruit professors and 62 others into the College as it gets set to admit first set of medical students for the 2018 academic year.
This was disclosed by the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Yakubu Muktar. Th ose to be recruited include both foreign and indigenous professors in human physiology, graduate assistants, technologists, among others. Hospitals renovations It was learnt that the Damaturu Specialists Hospital and general hospitals Damagum, Nangere, Jakusko and Dapchi have all undergone massive improvement and rehabilitations while expansion, rehabilitation and construction of roads at general hospitals Potiskum, Gashua and Geidam have been completed.
School of Health Sciences and Technology Nguru and College of Nursing and Midwifery Damaturu have received improvement and utility buses were procured to meet the accreditations apart for the structural rehabilitations. Free medical services Gaidam’s administration is providing free medical treatments for children under the ages of five years across the state, pregnant women throughout pre-natal period and to accident victims up to 48 hours. Routine immunization Equally amazing, to strengthen Routine Immunization RI in the state, Yobe state, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, Mr. Bill Gates and Dangote Foundation signed a Memoranda of Understanding MoU to increase the human resources workforce, renovation, revitalization and standardization of the primary health care facilities.
All religious and traditional leaders are actively involved to ensure all eligible children are vaccinated despite the vaccination rumours last years in which awareness campaign had to be carried out. Speaking on the development, Yobe state Commissioner of Health, Dr. Mohammed Bello Kawuwa, did not only confi rm it, but also added that during 2017 end of the year review meeting that, Yobe state had achieved 91percent of coverage in the 2017, while it looks forward to 100 percent coverage in 2018.
Enlisting medical students into government’s payroll According to our check, this year alone, the government has placed 110 medical students on salary grade levels 07 to join the 389 others who have already been on the government’s payroll.
The strategy is to grow home trained crop of medical doctors who will provide medical services to the people on completion of their MBBS degree training. But what about the cost implications?
The cost implications for the 110 additional students according to records, is put at the sum of N41,392,560.00 per annum, while students Nurses are placed on special allowances. Gaidam health awards For the governor’s efforts towards giving his people quality health services, recently, the Nigerian Medical Association NMA at its 58th Annual Delegates meeting in Abuja honoured Governor Gaidam for his contributions to healthcare in Nigeria and spearheading the transformation of the healthcare sector in Yobe state.
While presenting the Award, the out-going President of the NMA, Professor Mike Ogrima, described as ‘marvelous and wonderful’ the progress made in health sector under governor Gaidam.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Yobe state chapter had also conferred on the Governor “an award of excellence” in recognition of untiring efforts by declaring a state of emergency on the health sector.
The Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Nigeria (SOGON) had earlier conferred award on the governor too for his strides in health care and for improving the health of women and children in the state. Malaria prevention The state government through the Commissioner of Health, during the celebration of 2018 World Malaria Day, said, Yobe state government has been repositioned to curb the menace of malaria by providing mosquito nets and free vaccination to pregnant mothers throughout the period of their pre-natal. Also during the African Vaccination week, Yobe state government had targeted to vaccinate 43,000 children to ensure that every child is reached and immunized against vaccine preventable diseases. 15% budgetary allocation to health sector At the Abuja declaration in 2017, the Federal Ministry of Health had directed all states to allocate at least 15 percent budgetary allocation to health sector to fight killer diseases.
Yobe state governor went an extra mile by approving 15.3 percent in its 2018 budgetary allocation to health sector considering his zeal in transforming the health sector. Observers are in consensus that Yobe state has never had it better than now, because of the commitment of the governor in the health sector.
It is for this reason that World Medical Relief and Supply overseas has bridged a wide gap by presenting equipment worth N2,000,000,000.00, to Yobe state to boost its health sector. Interestingly, the commitment of Gaidam has turned the state health sector into qualitative service delivery, general improvement and well being of the Yobeans. The governor once said, “I wish to emphasize that considering the degree of attention our administration has accorded the health sector in the state, our problems should no longer be viewed from the perspective of lack of facilities, but rather on the need for attitudinal change”.