KNSG to Renovate Government Owned Facilities – Says Health Commissioner

…as HMB Introduces N100,000 Reward to the Best Performing Health Attendant_

The Kano State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, has stated that the Kano state government is determined renovating health facilities of the state.

This is contained in a statement Signed and issued to newsmen on Wednesday by Ibrahim Abdullahi, Information Officer
Kano state Ministry of Health.

According to him, Dr. Labaran dropped the hint while holding a maiden meeting with Zonal and Chief Medical Directors of secondary health facilities in the conference hall of the Hospitals Management Board.

The Commissioner said Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has placed high significance to health sector of the state, adding that His Excellency has a blueprint that will uplift the status of the healthcare system.

He noted that it was the blueprint that is being translated into reality steadily and systematically, further noting that it was the commitment of the Governor that energizes him and other heads of agencies to ensure the system goes smoothly.

Dr. Labaran charged them to brace up and be up and doing to discharge their responsibilities to the best of their abilities for effective service delivery, as there is lot to be done in maintaining the hospitals.

“I have been going round supervising the facilities especially in the night. I have been seeing a total darkness. It is few points and areas where light is on. This is unacceptable. You have to do minor maintenance works to keep our hospitals in order”, said the Commissioner.

He enthusiastically informed the gathering that the administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf will renovate health facilities of the state, stressing that any renovated hospital must be maintained by the leadership of that facility.

He also stated that, “In his passion to lift up the status of the hospitals, His Excellency has given me only one week to submit to him the situation reports and requirements of the hospitals including bills of quantity for proper action. On this note, you should, as a matter of urgency, compile all your requirements as soon as possible.”

He however expressed dismay over the skewed distribution of staff in the facilities, saying one may go to the hospital in the morning and get many staff in office doing nothing, and come back in the evening or night and find only one person managing the whole ward, urging them to change as this is unacceptable to both the Ministry and the HMB.

Dr. Labaran insisted that, “We have to go by the standard operations. We have to go by the rules. I don’t know of any law that says an officer of any cadre must only come in the morning. One thing I observe is that most of the staff see themselves as just the managers, who only come in the morning. That is the problem we are having.

“This is unacceptable. If you want to manage, simply resign and establish the one you will manage. If you want to work you must work according to the rules. This is the simplest way of resolving this issue. If you must only to come in the morning, just find you way.

“As director, you have to be up and doing. You can’t allow decadence among your staff and condone it. Be at the facility as early as possible. As CMD, you supposed to be in the hospital before 8am to ensure all units have minimum number of staff for effective service delivery. Show example for them to emulate.”

The Commissioner then enjoined them to use their knowledge and capacity to manage the existing staff and also urged them to be prudent in the utilization of the funds generated by the facilities, stressing that funds should be utilized in changing the face of the hospital and purchasing minor equipment that are not beyond their capabilities.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Hospitals Management Board, Dr. Mansur Mudi Nagoda, noted that the Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf has come with meaningful changes in the healthcare system of the state.

Dr. Nagoda pointed out as a result of the peoples’ habit of resistance to change, one finds some staff have stayed in the facilities for more than 14 to 15 years, lamenting that simple posting of health attendants from one facility to another generates emotion from various quarters of the state.

He stated that in order to induce staff to diligently carry out their responsibilities, he is going to introduce a quarterly award of N100,000 to the best performing attendan as reward to his/her performance, noting that the contest should cut across all the 14 zones of secondary health facilities.

The Executive Secretary hinted that this will be a challenge to all other attendants to effectively play their roles in ensuring service delivery, noting that the photograph of the winner will be pasted on the board at headquarters of the HMB as the best staff of the quarter.

Lastly, the CMDs proffered suggestions on how best the healthcare system of the state will be progressed to the desired level for improved service delivery at all times.