Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, has directed the Ministry of Health to investigate and fish out medical staff on duty who were alleged to have rejected victims of accidents.
The governor gave the directive on Thursday during a visit to the Accident and Emergency Unit of the Umaru Shehu Ultra Modern Hospital in Maiduguri, followed a viral video which showed that some accident patients were rejected at the hospital.
The governor gave 24 hours for a probe team to identify the medical workers involved and to recommend appropriate sanctions.
Zulum who addressed health workers at the hospital, said what happened is “inhuman and unacceptable,” said:
“A situation where patients are left crying for help, yet a hospital rejects them? We will not allow such a situation to repeat itself. I see no reason why disciplinary action will not be taken against the erring staff in this hospital.”
He said: “If any medical doctor or any personnel in any of our facilities is not willing to attend to patients without cogent reason, he or she should equally be fired without hesitation.”
He instructed that: @Within the next 24 hours, the Hospital Management Board and the Ministry of Health should investigate the incident and ensure disciplinary measures are enforced against all those on duty that refused to admit victims of the accident brought here.”
Meanwhile, he revealed that the state government has invested heavily in the health sector, including the welfare of the medical officers, across the state, and called on medical officers to reciprocate the gesture by providing quality healthcare services to all patients without discrimination.