REVEALED: How Lack of vital equipments, doctors affects medical delivery in Taraba
By Chuwang Dungs
Patients with various ailments in Taraba state are facing hard times as the only two functional tertiary medical institutions in the state, Federal Medical Center, (FMC) and Specialist hospital all in Jalingo the state capital have been hit by acute shortage of vital medical equipment and adequate doctors.
Investigations by DAYLIGHTREPORTERS reveal that these public hospitals are battling with lack of basic equipment and clinical staff.
Consequently, patients with critical ailments like cancer and other terminal diseases are being subjected to needless wait and long trips to other neighboring states for diagnosis.
Inside FMC Jalingo
The only functional federal government medical institution in the state came into existence in November, 1999.
Investigation by DAYLIGHTREPORTERS showed that the medical center, which normally should boast of state-of-the-art medical machines, lacked some basic equipment.
The hospital does not have a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine and Computerised Tomography (CT) scanning machine or any cancer screening machine as such patients travel for over five hours to Yola or Gombe to have these investigations done. And in most cases non-lucky critically ill patients die on transit.
According to medicalnewstoday.com, “MRI uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed images of the organs and tissues within the body.”
MedlinePlus says “Computed Tomography (CT) scan is an imaging method that uses x-rays to create pictures of cross-sections of the body.”
There have been complaints by relatives of patients who have to embark on tough journeys with heavy financial burden with their relatives under critical condition to assess the facility in Yola or Gombe.
Recently, a sick man identified as Baban Barry was admitted at the center and was requested to do a CT scan, even though his condition was critical the family members said they have no choice as they must travel to Yola to do the test.
“We called Yola on Wednesday and we were booked for Friday. Apart from the N58 thousand for the scanning, we hired a vehicle at the cost of N100 thousand to and fro. It is quite painful and stressful.” a family member lamented.
A son of a patient, Jibril Umar also lamented that “It took one week for my sick father to be booked for an MRI scan in Yola, so there is a need for the government to provide the equipment in Jalingo.”
Speaking to our correspondent during a visit to the center, Chairman Medical Advisory Committee, (CMAC) Kuni Joseph, said no doubt for the hospital to function effectively it would need the MRI and CT scanners.
He said management of the hospital is also worried as a result of the lack of this basic diagnosis equipment.
“The medical center must first provide or have a structure that can house the equipment before we can proceed to make a request. It was as a result of the efforts of the present management that the petroleum equivalent fund started constructing the radiological complex with the aim of housing the equipment but the project has stopped.”
MD laments inadequate fund, clinical staff.
The Medical Director of FMC Jalingo, Aishatu Adamu, lamented the underfunding and shortage of clinical staff at the tertiary health institution.
This, she said, had been stifling their operations. However, “despite the underfunding we have recorded significant improvement due to the resolve of the management to succeed.”
“We don’t have enough clinical staff, we have been getting waivers from the federal government to employ but we don’t even see doctors to employ, they don’t want to come to the state. Mainly we don’t have doctors, especially specialists which we need dearly in the state to improve quality health care.
“On the issue of equipment, the CT scan and MRI machines don’t come cheap. We are already building a radiological complex for such equipment and efforts are ongoing to see that we acquire the equipment as soon as the work is completed.
Taraba Specialist Hospital, a Shadow of its Past
The Jalingo Ultra Modern Specialist hospital which was built, equipped and commenced operation in 2007 during the Jolly Nyame administration and was rated one of the best in the northeast region had now become a shadow of its former self.
DAYLIGHTREPORTERS gathered that most of the equipment in the hospital including the CT scan machine and some dialysis machines have broken down due to poor maintenance.
Due to lack of adequate doctors and equipments, DAYLIGHTREPORTERS gathered that patients no longer patronised the hospital as expected.
“Patients prefer FMC to this place due to the poor services. A nurse who spoke to DAYLIGHTREPORTERS on condition of anonymity said.
“The staff no longer discharged their duties as patients are not visiting the hospital because of lack of doctors,’’ he said.
The nurse said that the only functional facilities at the hospital are those at the laboratory and radiology department, where x-ray and some few investigations are conducted.
A top management source said the poor state of things at the hospital was due to the inability of the past administration in the state to “fund and take care of the place.”
He said Governor Agbu Kefas recently visited the specialist hospital unannounced and expressed disappointment over lack of basic equipment at the radiology department and promised to act immediately.
What we lack is Hi-Tech equipments and manpower-CMAC
But the CMAC of the hospital, Mustapha Mohammed in an interview with DAYLIGHTREPORTERS said the hospital doesn’t lack basic equipment because basic equipment includes, a standard laboratory, dialysis machine, mammography machine, and x-ray machine. But what they are lacking is Hi-Tech or advanced equipment.
Mohammed, however, admitted that to function effectively and compete with other hospitals globally the hospital needs MRI and CT scan machines and adequate manpower.
“The hospital has been functioning optima, most of the basic things needed to be done we do it here, when you talk of investigation you talk particularly radiology lab, in terms of laboratory investigation we are fully covered , in fact there are many investigation we do here that FMC doesn’t do, our laboratory is up to standard, when you come to radiology we have two scanning machine and two x-ray machine that are functioning and 3 functional dialysis machine.” He said
“Right now we don’t have an MRI machine, for the CT scan we have a non functional obsolete CT scan machine. If we have one it will no doubt add to patients’ care and also reduce the stress of them traveling a long distance for such an investigation.
“These are high tech equipment which with or without them the hospital function but having them the hospital will function better because if our CT scan is functioning it would save a lot of lives and pain.
“In fact last year we had to send the father of a colleague to Yola to have a CT scan done. I am a radiologist and we have three consultant radiologists here in the department, so having these equipment will enhance our services.
“During the governor’s visit he went to the radiology department and requested that we tell him what we immediately needed. We gave him an MRI, not the normal one but the highest in the country and one of best globally. We also requested for a CT scan machine and he gave us the assurance that he is going to provide it.
Asked to comment on the challenges of managing cancer patients due to the lack of these basic radiotherapy machines. Mr Mohammed said. “Cancer management is a multidisciplinary thing. You can’t just start managing cancer when you don’t have a specialist oncologist, we don’t have a professional oncologist, so mostly cancer treatment is referred to other facilities.”
He however said the hospital has a professional pharmacist oncologist who attends to cancer patients.
“Definitely in treating cancer you need not only CT scan and MRI but you also need CT stimulation to mark and follow up the management of these cancerous cases.
Speaking on the issue of lack of doctors in the hospital, he noted that the immediate and greatest challenge of the hospital is that of clinical manpower, he said “even if the equipment are available the hospital needs the services of specialists to operate them which we are lacking.
He said the only way to attract specialist doctors to the hospital and also reduce the rate of migration is “by increasing the remuneration of the medical staff to the standard of the federal medical staff.
Taraba has only 201 doctors-NMA
Confirming the dearth of vital equipment and lack of doctors, the chairman Taraba state chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) Bako Ali in an interview with DAYLIGHTREPORTERS, said Taraba state with a population of over three million has only 201 active and inactive medical doctors across the state.
Ali lamented that the doctor-patient ratio in the state is very bad which has affected provision of adequate health services.
“Out of 201 not all are in active service, some are in parastatals, some are serving as permanent secretary
“Shortage of doctors in the public health facilities had placed undue stress on the few existing ones, exposing them to overwork.
On the issue of negligence and delay in attending to patients, Mr Ali said is not negligence as perceived by the public but the “few available doctors are being overwhelmed with the number of both out patients and in patients couple with emergency cases”
“If you consider the realities on ground, doctors in Taraba are really putting in their best and they should be commended.
He said the reason why doctors are migrating from Taraba is primarily due to poor remuneration and inadequate diagnostic equipments
“From statistics Taraba state is the state with the least number of doctors in the entire country and the lowest in terms of salaries and other welfare packages”
Ali said that the package being paid to doctors in the state is meager compared to the work they do.
“Let me site example with my own case, I am the head and only doctor managing the state university clinic with over 20 thousand students, besides lecturers and non academic staff and I must attend to every case, in a situation whereby I am handling an emergency case those waiting to see me will feel neglected whereas is not so. I hope you understand our predicaments.” He lamented.”
“If you have that kind of a situation whereby you are always on call, you are being stressed out. And when you are burnt out there is no way you are expected to give out the best
“The general public needs to be educated to know that the ratio of a doctor to a patient is very high.” He said.
“NMA as an action professional body is seriously concerned due to the lack of functional MRI and CT scan machines in the entire state.
“This equipment is very important for diagnosis, definitely doctors must request for CT scan and MRI and since this equipment is not available in the state, patients must be referred to other places.
“As an Association we are deeply concerned and we appealed to government to look into the matter”
“The infrastructures at the specialist hospital are very okay to carry out any medical services to the populace but Manpower and lack of functional equipment have rendered the place ineffective.
“Internal and external brain drain is another factor that crippled the specialist hospital, a lot of doctors have migrated to federal medical center because the payment is far better, Taraba state government is not paying 100% CONMESS
“And if they get offers outside the state the move to other states, that is what we have been experiencing day in day out
He said the state government must act fast to address the issue of internal brain drain.
“We appealed to the state government to revamped the collapsed CT scan and acquired an MRI machine to help reduce the pains and hardship of patients and their relatives.
He noted that having the machines was not enough but employing the services of professional radiologists and the only thing that will motivate them to come is a good pay package and other motivational packages.
“There are many cases of patients being transported under critical condition to go and do MRI and CT scan and you are not sure whether the patient will even reach the place all these factors must be put into consideration
He said considering the economic status of the population if these machines are available in government owned institutions the cost for the screening would be subsidised.
