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Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum has ordered the immediate rehabilitation of unoccupied and deteriorated bungalows meant for medical doctors at the General Hospital in Bama. The Governor reportedly gave the directive on Tuesday evening after inspecting the quarters. According to a report, Bama was overrun by insurgency in 2014, before it was liberated by troops. Zulum’s Tuesday visit was a follow-up to his initial surprise showing at the hospital around 10pm on Monday night, for on-the-spot monitoring of public healthcare services. At visit, Zulum directed relevant officials of the Borno State Government to ensure rehabilitation began today, Wednesday, expressing his readiness to immediately approve the release of funds after the officials assess all the buildings and determine costs, which the Governor insisted must be done within hours. He maintained that he wanted the rehabilitation to start during his ongoing stay in Bama for days of humanitarian and developmental activities. The Governor said it was urgent that the CMD and other doctors were provided accommodation within the hospital so they could be readily available, including at late hours, to attend to health emergencies, should they arise. Zulum also directed that the hospital’s perimeter fence be raised higher with barbed wire and lightning installed around the quarters and the general premises, to improve security. Worried by his on-the-spot finding that only two medical doctors and 10 nurses and midwives currently operate at Bama’s General Hospital, Governor Zulum has directed the urgent recruitment of 30 healthcare personnel combining medical doctors, nurses and midwives as well as pharmacists and lab technicians. Zulum’s order was also made on Tuesday evening during his follow-up visit to the hospital. The Governor held a closed meeting that was attended by the state’s commissioner of health, Professor Mohammed Arab, CMD and other top management staff of the hospital among some top officials. The meeting which was held at the hospital, identified challenges of the hospital, which needed urgent intervention. Zulum directed the state’s commissioner of health and other relevant commissioners to address issues of lower solar power voltage and that of fans. The Governor asked the health commissioner to ensure that the key problems raised by the hospital’s management were quickly addressed. Meanwhile, Zulum said he was happy that he met a doctor and nurses during his two visits on Monday night and Tuesday evening. He also commended the hospital’s sanitary condition as well as the availability and maintenance of functional medical facilities. |