Governor Zulum fumes over rejection of accident victims by Borno hospital staff

The Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum on Thursday gave a directive order to the state’s Ministry of Health to investigate and fish out medical staff who allegedly rejected victims of accidents rushed to Umaru Shehu Ultra Modern Hospital in Maiduguri.

According to reports, Zulum who’s not pleased with the said incident visited the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Unit after he saw a video clip that went viral on social media showing how some medical officers allegedly rejected accident victims brought to the hospital.

Zulum gave the hospital 24 hours to identify the medical workers involved and to recommend appropriate sanctions.

He said, “What happened is inhuman and unacceptable. 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.

“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,” Zulum declared.

He ordered 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.”

The governor noted that the state government has invested heavily in the health sector, including the welfare of the medical officers, across the state.

He, therefore, called on medical officers to reciprocate the gesture by providing quality healthcare services to all patients without discrimination.