Taraba Residents Speak Out on Doctor Shortage and Poor Hospital Facilities

Residents of Taraba are complaining about the lack of qualified doctors and poor infrastructure in the state's general hospitals.

Some of them told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Jalingo that this situation is hurting the quality of healthcare.

Yerima Ato, a resident of Wukari town, mentioned that there is no qualified doctor at the general hospital in Wukari.

Mr Ato claimed that doctors are brought in from other places to provide minimal services at the general hospitals. He pointed out that this arrangement is seriously affecting healthcare quality.

"To my knowledge, doctors are being hired from the Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo, to cover up for the shortage of doctors in the general hospitals.

"There was a time I was scheduled for surgery at the general hospital, but I had to wait for the doctors to come from the FMC.

"So, the same doctors you find at the FMC that you find in the general hospitals," he said.

In another comment, Hajara Thomas said that things are not better in general hospitals in Takum, Ussa, Gassol, Gashaka, Bali, and other local government areas in the state.

She urged the state government to hire more doctors so that residents can get better services at the general hospitals and primary healthcare centres.

A health expert, John Mayo, also spoke about the poor state of infrastructure in many hospitals.

Mr Mayo noted that the rundown condition of facilities at public hospitals in the state does not encourage medical workers.

He did, however, praise Governor Agbu Kefas for renovating some general hospitals in the state.