Chima Azubuike, Gombe state.
Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has constituted a 9-man Taskforce on Health sector, with former Chief Medical Director, Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe, Professor Usman Aliyu El-Nafaty as Chairman.
Other members of the Taskforce are Dr. Mohammed Isa Umar, Architect Yunusa Yakubu, Dr. James Emmanuel Madi, Dr. Muazu Ishaq, Ahmed Mohammed Kabir, Dr. Joshua Abubakar Difa, Mrs. Rachael Massa and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health Hajiya Zainab Idris Haruna will serve as the committee’s secretary.
Governor Inuwa Yahaya, while performing the inauguration ceremony, recalled that his visit to some health facilities shortly after his swearing-in showed that the health sector had been neglected by the past administration, resulting in poor or inadequate equipment in health facilities.
Inuwa,Worried by the deplorable state of healthcare facilities in the state said
“This administration will do its best in addressing the situation, this committee has the responsibility to review the operational framework on human resource for the health sector vis-a-vis the disposition of health workforce across the tiers of the health system of the State”.
“The committee also has the responsibility to suggest and implement immediate ways of bridging the health workforce gap in the state; conduct a rapid needs assessment, both physical and operational of key health facilities especially the Specialist Hospital and recommend improvements in the short, medium and long term bases needed for the facilities to meet the required standard of their establishment”
The Governor added that the committee also has the mandate to critically appraise the abandoned projects in the Specialist Hospital and see to its immediate completion using the best available option to the Government.
Responding on behalf of the Taskforce, Professor Usman Aliyu El-Nafaty, lamented the poor health indices of the Northeast and assured that members of the Taskforce will bring to bear their wealth of experience and expertise in addressing the challenges faced by the critical health sector in Gombe state.
“We want to appreciate the Governor for finding us worthy for the job and we promise to work assiduously to justify the confidence reposed in this committee”.