When Mr. Yushau Abubakar, a civic activist and good governance campaigner sent out the tweet to Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el Rufai, the singular objective was to draw the governor’s attention to the long years of decay in a major health institution in the State. The subject of the timely campaign by Mr. Abubakar was the decaying and decrepit state of Rigasa General Hospital. From the groundswell of complaints by the facility users about the unacceptably horrible state of the hospital, it was apparent that only an intervention from the number one decision maker in the state could turn things around. That had to be the case because a neglect, ineptitude and dereliction of duty was threatening the facility’s very objective of delivering quality and affordable healthcare to the people of the State.
By virtue of its mandate to deliver quality public healthcare, Rigasa should be the cleanest of places; that has not been the case because the pictures, which accompanied the tweet, showed a facility being overrun by refuse. The sanitary conditions were also very appalling with waste water streaming all over major sections of the hospital. The Explainer gathered that despite having five medical doctors assigned at the facility by the Kaduna State government, many patients complained they could access proper medical services because the doctors report and close at work at their own time. Facility users who spoke to The Explainer said recently doctors and nurses were absent for 45days. Things were said to have got to a head a few weeks ago when an inexperienced medical personnel undergoing National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) was saddled with the task of performing surgery on a little boy. The outcome was that the surgery was poorly done, resulting in severe complications. The patient had to be rushed back for a repeat of the surgery at the risk of almost losing his life.
With Mr. Abubakar’s twitter activism however, the Kaduna State government swiftly moved into action to reform the facility. Last week, Deputy Governor, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe stormed the facility on an unscheduled visit. The first outcome was the queries to be answered by some of the doctors who have been absenting themselves from duty. Also, efforts have been revived to give the facility a facelift, although no specific action plan has been put forward in that regards. Similarly, the whistle blowing, which prompted to begin an inquest into what is happening in Rigasa General Hospital has also prompted a firestorm of unscheduled visits to other health institutions.
However as the government of Kaduna State takes the credit for its quick response to the situation in the health facilities, activists and good governance campaigners are warning that concrete action to address the neglect and decay should follow immediately, lest the momentum is lost. Importantly too, sources within the facility, who did not want their names disclosed informed The Explainer that the government, which is busy claiming applause for acting and going on a fact-finding visit to the facility, is in the first place partly responsible for the decay. One of them said: “There are many things we drew their attention to through letters and memos, but nothing was done to provide those things needed to arrest the rot. That is why the hospital is looking so bad. You do not expect us to use our personal monies to do what the government should ordinarily provide funds for.” For the everyday citizen using public health facilities in Kaduna State therefore, the expectation is that the government will put in place a clear action plan, and then execute it faithfully to rescue all such facilities from the doldrums of decay.
