Governor Babagana Zulum has uncovered how officials of government hospitals scam patients through excessive charges.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Borno State governor made the findings during a disguised visit to two government healthcare centres in Maiduguri, on Thursday.
A statement by the spokesman to the governor, Mallam Isa Gusau, said the governor, had summoned the state’s Commissioner for Health, Juliana Bitrus, to join him in a 10-seater bus that was usually used for airport services and took her out on a sting activity.
He said the governor left the Government House around 1:30pm without any convoy and without siren, leaving everyone surprised and wondering.
Gusau said the health commissioner was not even aware of what was ahead as she was not told of the plan by the governor.
The governor subsequently led the team straight to the newly established and fully equipped primary healthcare centre at Gwange II ward in Maiduguri and found that some workers were collecting between N8,000 to N10,000 before diagnosis and treatment were conducted on patients for even malaria.
Following the exercise, the governor said; “The staff we met here (at Gwange II, PHC) confirmed that they used to collect between N8,000 to N10,000 from patients to treat malaria.
“In fact, they have turned this Government Health Centre to a private hospital, and this is why the centre has been deserted by people who mostly do not have the money to access services. The workers just collect money and put it in their pockets.”
Zulum subsequently directed the Borno State Primary Healthcare Agency to thoroughly investigate, identify all the culprits and take appropriate disciplinary actions.
