The Acting Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi, Dr Saidu Abubakar Kadas, has decried the lack of medical personnel in the facility.
Dr. Kadas said despite having lots of structures and medical equipment the hospital is handicapped for lack of adequate personnel to put them into use.
He said this while speaking with journalists in Bauchi, adding that the situation is having adverse effects on the hospital’s operations.
The acting CMD informed that the last time the hospital recruited staff was about five years ago, adding that since then no recruitment of staff has been made.
“The hospital is a 700-capacity facility. We are grossly understaffed. For the past five years or so we have not had employment.
“If you go round (the hospital) you will see a lot of projects that have been developed while some are under construction. All these are supposed to be manned by people but if you don’t have… Presently, we don’t have enough staff,” he said.
He further informed that the ATBUTH houses a COVID-19 isolation centre despite the fact that its staff capacity is being overstretched.
Kadas said outsourced services are posing a challenge to the hospital, adding that this has been the case since government directed that both security and cleaning services be outsourced.
According to him, both staff security and cleaning services are key to service delivery in the hospital.
“Before now, the hospital had control over these issues but the government banned it. It said these services should be outsourced.
“The law was made and the government should have supported it with finance. How do we pay all these people from our purse?” he queried.
