(PERSONAL OPINION)
BY
ANAS SANI ANKA
is apparently clear that all is not well with our secondary health sector, especially with the recent fact finding visitations by the newly appointed Chairman of Zamfara Hospital Management Board Dr. Bashir Maru.
What we saw at the General hospital, Tsafe and King Fahad Ibn Abdulazeez Women and Children Hospitals speak volumes about our leadership deficit and lack of clear foresight of doing the right thing.
The situation is not only alarming but devastating and should be seen and treated by the government as an ailment which requires not only urgent but permanent cure.
There is no better dividend of democracy a typical Zamfara citizens needed from the government more than affordable health care system, access to quality education and above all secured environment for sustainable economic development.
Despite infrastructural collapse, the visitation team noticed that there is poor maintenance culture and lack of accountability on how the hospitals are governed.
The committee also queries why Zamfara eye center for instance is not accountable to the state government despite giant revenue it has been generating over the years
In reality, the state government need to be apt in releasing capital funds for the implementation of capital development projects.
I am sure the pictures of infrastructural dilapidation represent the bad imagery of what may likely be found in almost all the secondary health facilities in the state.
As for the new Chairman this is what we are expecting from energetic political species like him because we expected people like him to fish out the reality on the ground and advise the government on what to do.
The government need to see these crisis in our health sector as a wake-up call not criticism because no amount of propaganda can convince the ordinary citizen that government of Zamfara is serious with the health sector.
We agreed that it is an inherent problem which was not born by this government, but at least government it is who we understand that there is no excuse for failure or poor performance.
As for the community members, it is time people take ownership of the health facilities in their domains and continue to engage the government in a more positive manner for it to do the right thing.
