It has been lamented that the bad economic situation in the country in recent times is exposing poor Nigerians to the danger of losing their lives due to the poor healthcare services being offered at almost all public health facilities across the country.
The expression was made by a Medical practitioner in Bauchi State who is the Medical Director of City Clinic in Bauchi, Dr Bashir Sule while speaking at the 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Bauchi State Chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) held at the Multipurpose Hall of ATBUTH over the weekend.
Dr Bashir Sule also lamented that the ten dollars per annum budgeted for every citizen in the country is grossly inadequate considering the level of poverty steering people in the eyes coupled with the struggle to survive.
Dr Bashir Sule, who was the Chairman of the occasion, described the country’s state of healthcare service delivery as abysmal, saying more funds needed to be injected to arrest the situation.
He further explained that “when adequate funds were appropriated, it would address the lacuna in the health workforce, the equipment gap, the remuneration of the workers, and healthcare service delivery to the citizens, among others.”
According to him, the World Health Organisation’s Maternal Mortality Index in the country indicates that an average of 1,000 women are dying in every 100,000 live deliveries, a story not different in Bauchi State, where about 800 women die in every 100,00 live deliveries.
He further explained that another area of concern was the mortality of infants and children under the age of five, which he said is worrisome and must be addressed immediately.
He also lamented that there is a shortage of Medical Doctors in Bauchi State due to low remuneration by the government, pointing out that the situation has put the lives of patients in danger.
The Medical Practitioner called on the state government to, as a matter of urgency, live up to the expectations of the people by ensuring that healthcare delivery services are provided to them.
Bashir Sule also advised that the government must take urgent steps to check the mass movement of Medical Doctors away from the country by offering them a living wage like that of the places they are flocking to.
He then encouraged the leadership of the NMA to, as a body, stand up to defend its members to ensure that they were adequately mobilised for effective service delivery.
The 2023 AGM, with the theme “Health Care Delivery in Bauchi: Challenges are the Way Forward”, had in attendance stakeholders in the health sector.
In a goodwill message, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of ATBUTH Bauchi, Dr Yusuf Jibril, commended the NMA for organising the event and assured of the hospital’s readiness to collaborate with the state government in terms of providing quality healthcare service delivery to the people of the state.
He said that ATBUTH Bauchi has an abundance of consultants who specialise in many areas and was ready to partner with the state government to release some of them to offer clinical, training, and research services in the State Specialist Hospital.
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