...Wike orders immediate recruitment to resolve ‘japa’, Obsolete equipment to go, solar power for unbroken service delivery


By Felix Durumbah

Critical healthcare personnel such as medical doctors, nurses, pharmacists, medical records officers, physiotherapists and others who quit the services of Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) are to be replaced immediately.

This followed an order by Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr Nyesom Wike, to that effect.

It was gathered from sources that the lack of cutting edge staff had over the years affected service delivery in the hospitals.

The Ministerial stamp came on the heels of a proposal by FCTA’s Mandate Secretary for Health Services and Environment Secretariat (HSES), Dr Dolapo Fasawe.

Newly-appointed Permanent Secretary, HSES, Dr Babagana Adam, who disclosed these while fielding questions from the press in Abuja, explained the urgency in the Ministerial order, saying it is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He said: ‘’ The Honorable Minister has graciously agreed to their immediate replacement. And when Mr. Solution tells you immediate, it is immediate and immediate.’’

He was responding to a question on his impression of the state of FCTA-owned health facilities which he toured on assumption of office about a month ago.

FCTA owns 14 health facilities, including relatively well-equipped General Hospitals, some in rural areas, 11 of which the Permanent Secretary has visited so far.

Pouring out his feelings on what he saw on ground, Dr Adam said the Minister, through the Mandate Secretary, is focused on improving the facilities which, he stressed, were already the primus inter pares among similar institutions not just in the North Central zone but across the country.

He added: ‘’Presently, my Mandate Secretary, Dr Dolapo Fasawe, under the direction of the Hon. Minister, FCT, Dr Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has already set in place motion to provide for solar power, to provide for repairs or replacement of obsolete equipment, to provide for training and then, through her push (which the Hon. Minister has already approved) the replacement of the staff that have left the FCT service---the nurses, the doctors, the medical records personnel, the pharmacists, the physiotherapists, all the health professionals that have left.

‘’ What are my impressions? I think we’ll still say we thank God Almighty that we have manpower, we have available facilities, we have the will of the Honorable Minister that he’s going to give us three additional hospitals that’ll be completed—Gwarimpa General Hospital, Utako General Hospital (about 220-bed facility), Gwagwalada Hospital that started since 2010 or 2012 that has not been completed.

‘’And you know the Hon. Minister’s type of projects solution is, he doesn’t start what he cannot complete.
‘’So, it gives a lot of courage and encouragement to us to put forward.

‘’So, my general impression is, I think the hospitals can still do better, but you know, the Hon. Minister, Mr. Wike, is less than a year in office. I’m sure by the time he’s a year-plus in office, you’ll see a lot of things changing.’’

The Permanent Secretary revealed that the Minister has crafted a novel attitudinal strategy focused on ‘’patient-centered healthcare service delivery’’ to give the mammoth numbers of patients from in and outside the FCT a fresh lease of life.

Dwelling on the issue of millions of patients, including members of the diplomatic community resident in Abuja, and those from other states routinely thronging the relatively better FCTA health facilities for treatment, Dr Adam explained that this fact was the reason no matter how much financial resources FCTA sunk into its health sector, the amount and outcomes appeared merely like a drop of water in the ocean.

His words: ‘’That is why whatever FCTA is doing is a drop in the ocean, despite the huge budget that is being expended. That tells you again, from your assessment, that our service in the North-Central or even in Nigeria is equal to none. And if people are migrating to a place, you understand that place has better service delivery, equipment and others.’’

Even as he noted that the Minister was ploughing in huge sums into the sector, Dr Adam called on the international community, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), philanthropists (corporate and individual) to support the health system ‘’as they have been doing, so that we will have more and attend to everybody that has come with their health-seeking behavior so that FCT will be a haven to all.’’

He urged members of the public to hold hospital staff accountable toward better service delivery by utilizing FCTA’s available social media channels and publicly-given telephone numbers to bring any service lapse or failure to the notice of the authorities, for instant rectification.