Zulum in unscheduled visit caught health officials extorting money for free services

The governor of Borno State, Alhaji Babagana Zulum on Thursday paid unscheduled visit to some government health care centres in parts of Maiduguri and caught health officials extorting patients for services meant to be free.

The governor who disguised himself as seeking to be treated discovered officials collecting between N8,000 to N10,000 from patients for services meant to be provided free of charge in a primary healthcare centre at Gwange II ward.

On Thursday afternoon, the governor summoned his Commissioner for Health in the State, Mrs Juliana Bitrus who joined him summoned the Commissioner for Health, Mrs Juliana in a 10-seater bus that is usually used for airport services and drove to healthcare centres at about 1.30pm.

The healthcare officials didn’t suspect anything as he wasn’t with his convoy, but were found to have been charging between N8,000 to N10,000 before diagnosing and treating patients of common ailments such as malaria.

“The staff we met here (at Gwange II, PHC) confirmed that they use to collect between N8,000 to N10,000 from patients to treat malaria. In fact, they have turned this government health centre into a private hospital, and this is why the centre has been deserted by people who mostly do not have the money to access services here. The workers just collect money and put it in their pockets

Zulum asked the Director of Borno Primary Healthcare Development Agency to investigate and discipline the corrupt elements.

Speaking later on the development he met, the governor expressed disappointment that the same primary healthcare centre had only one medical staff on the ground to attend to patients despite having 29 health workers on the government payroll.

“You can imagine that at 2:00 pm, this primary healthcare centre we built and fully equipped is empty (because of extortion and without medical staff). This level of impunity cannot be tolerated. The earlier we address it, the better for all of us” Zulum added.

The governor proceeded to a similar primary healthcare centre at Gwange I but found medical workers on the ground attending to patients without extorting them.

While noting that he was happy with the development, the governor commended the staff for being good people.

Zulum has been paying surprised visit to government institutions to witness development in Borno State by himself.