Medical Expert Calls For Additional Funding for Health Sector
Medical expert, Dr Bashir Sule addressing attendees of the Annual General Meeting (AGM), organized by the Bauchi State Chapter of the NMA. Photo: Murtala Muhammad
By Murtala Muhammad
A Bauchi based medical expert and educationist, Dr Bashir Sule says the ten dollar per anum budgeted for every citizen in the country is grossly inadequate.
Dr Sule said the situation exposes many Nigerians to danger of loosing their lives, due to the poor healthcare services being offered at public health facilities across the country.
He stated this at the opening of Annual General Meeting (AGM), organized by the Bauchi State Chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), held at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) Bauchi.
The AGM with the theme “Health Care Delivery in Bauchi: Challenges are Way Forward”, had in attendance stakeholders in the health sector.
Dr Bashir Sule who was the Chairman of the occasion, described the country’s state of healthcare service delivery as abysmal saying more fonds need to be injected to arrest the situation.
He explained that when adequate funds were appropriated, it would address the lacuna in the health workforce, equipment gap, improve remuneration of the workers and healthcare service delivery to the citizens among others.
According to Dr Sule, the World Health Organisation’s Maternal Mortality indices in the country indicates that an average of 1,000 women were 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.
The Medical expert explained that another area of concern was the mortality of infants and children under the age of five.
Speaking, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State said his administration would soon review Health Workers salary and allowances especially doctors to conform with their counterparts in other places so as to ensure retention.
Bala Mohammed who was represented by the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Adamu Sambo said the new pay rise when completed would be implemented in no distant time.
The Chief Medical Director, ATBUTH Bauchi, Dr Yusuf Jibril commended NMA for organising the event and assured of the hospital’s readiness to collaborate with the state government in terms of provision of quality healthcare service to people of the state.
He said ATBUTH Bauchi has abundance of consultants who specializes in many areas and was eveready for partner with the state government to release some of them to offer clinical, training and research services in the State Specialist Hospital.
Earlier, the Chairman of NMA, Bauchi State Chapter, Dr Muhammad Bashir Faruk said the theme of the AGM was carefully selected to identify the issues with a view to addressing them.
