Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has ordered the Ministry of Health to release N300 million worth of drugs and other medical supplies to government hospitals for free administration to patients. The move aims to ease the hardship many face in making payments amid a scarcity of both new and old naira notes.
Commissioner of Health and Human Services Professor Mohammed Alhaji announced the release while unveiling the supplies at the ministry’s stores on Baga Road in Maiduguri. The allocation includes medications for prevalent illnesses, maternal delivery kits and other essential medical items. He instructed medical directors and principal medical officers of public healthcare centres in the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and Jere to promptly prepare the necessary paperwork to receive their allocations and deploy the drugs and supplies without delay.
Alhaji emphasized that the drugs must be given free of charge to patients who lack funds or are unable to access their money. He acknowledged the risk of some individuals falsely claiming poverty, but stressed that “while we know some people may have money and still demand free drugs by pretending they lack funds, we cannot, because of some dishonest people, refuse to help those in need.” He expressed confidence that patients would act honestly.
On behalf of health workers across the state, Alhaji thanked Governor Zulum for his timely assistance, describing the initiative as humane. Medical directors and principal medical officers of public hospitals welcomed the governor’s gesture. Dr. Baba Shehu Mohammed, medical director of the State Specialist Hospital, said the staff were “happier than the patients,” noting the pain they feel when patients cannot afford diagnoses or prescribed medications.
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