Why I left National Hospital Abuja to accept offer in FMC Azare – Dr. Abubakar

Mohammed Kaka

Dr. Dauda Abubakar Katagum is the Medical Director of Federal Medical Center (FMC) Azare. He also holds the traditional title of Zanna Dujuma of Katagum in Katagum emirate council. In this interview with Baushe times, he attributed his decision to leave National Hospital Abuja for FMC Azare as part of sacrifice towards contributing his own quota to the development of his home state Bauchi, among other considerations.

Excerpts;

Baushe times: Sir before we start, I would want you to introduce yourself.

MD: Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to speak through this great medium. Dr Dauda Abubakar Katagum is my name, I am an indigene of Bauchi state from Zaki Local Government area. I was born in the late 60s to the family of Alhaji Garba Katagum, the Late Sarkin Tashena Katagum, I started my primary education in Kaduna and finished in Bauchi, Sa’adu Zungur primary school, from there I got admission into federal government college Minna, in Niger State, where I had my secondary school education and I proceeded to the University of Maiduguri, Borno state for my degree program in medicine where I graduated with a degree in medicine bachelor and bachelor of surgery(MBBS). I did my horsemanship in the university of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital which is a mandatory one year internship program. I went to Cross River state, Calaber for my NYSC in Obubura local government area specifically. After that, I came back and started my residency in university of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital in the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology after passing my primary exams which is first part of our fellowship exams. After some years there was an advertisement that there is going to be a new hospital in Abuja which is call the National Hospital and I applied, I was called for an interview as a Registrar in the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology there, and Alhamdillahi I was employed in 1999, been one of the pioneer staff of National Hospital Abuja. I continued with my residency program up to the time I got my fellowship as a consultant and rose by rank to Chief Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the National Hospital Abuja.

Baushe times:
How many positions were you opportuned to hold during your stay in the National Hospital Abuja?

MD: During the cause of my work there, I held several positions, both administrative and clinical, I was the Chief Resident in the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the National Hospital, I was also head of department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology there in the National Hospital, I was the head of unit of family planning and many other responsibilities in the same hospital. I was also appointed Deputy chairman, Medical Advisory Committee and then acting chairman Medical Advisory Committee/Director of Clinical Services. I was appointed the Medical Director of Federal Medical Center Azare by President Muhammadu Buhari in August 2022.

Baushe times: How did you get your traditional title Sir?

MD: The title of Zanna Dujuma Katagum was an honor bestowed on me by His Royal Highness, the Emir of Katagum, Alhaji Umar Farouq II and I am happy that he found me worthy to be given that title. To justify the confidence reposed in me, I try as much as possible to contribute my quota to the development of the emirate and my loyalty to the emirate is always unflinching.

Baushe times: You were working in a more conducive environment in Abuja but you accepted an offer back here in Bauchi, why?

MD: Thank you very much for this question. If you look at my profile, since my graduation I have not worked in Bauchi state, despite being an indigene of Bauchi state, so when the opportunity came for the post of Medical Director in the Federal Medical Center Azare, I thought it wise that I should come and contribute my own quota to my own state because whatever I become, am an indigene of Bauchi state, so I think it’s a sacrifice that is worth doing to come and see to the development of of my state, in particular, in my own town Azare, that is why I have to sacrifice everything, the luxury of Abuja and everything to come to Azare to see how I can help my own people in my own way .

Baushe times: This kind of sacrifice is coming at a time your colleagues are going abroad for a better pay package and many other incentives, what message do you have for such people?

MD: Honestly, there are a lot of temptations, people go out to make money, people go out to see or learn modern equipments that we don’t have in our country but if you look at it, *there is no place that is better than home. Agreed, if you go there you can make a lot of money, but there are other things that you need to consider, if all of us should leave Nigeria, we have families, we have relatives, who is going to take care of them? So I urge my brothers and sisters that are leaving for abroad to think twice, if you carry yourself, your wife and your children abroad, you have extended family and they are going to suffer the same issue of health if you leave them, so remember that somebody has to be around to take care of them. So I think money is not everything, let us sacrifice something for our county so that the country can be better.

Baushe times: We need more doctors particularly in this area, the North-Eastern Nigeria where the number of doctors is always going down. What message do you have to that regard?

MD: I am happy that you brought up this issue honestly, when I came on board, the first thing I did as a community member is to call some of our friends, because I noticed that most of the Doctors we have in the Federal Medical Center Azare are not even indigenes of Bauchi state, so I asked my friends the reason. So from what we deduced is that the problem is from the foundation, right from the JAMB result and the WAEC results, most of our children are not able to gain the requirements that will allow them study medicine and it’s not because they don’t have the brain, it’s not because they cannot read medicine but it’s the foundation and the guidance they are lacking, so we have founded a coalition Committee that has started right from secondary school, helping these children, those that would need extra mural lessons, we have gotten some teachers that could help them, and those that can not afford to write exams for one reason or the other, we assist them financially and then give them guidance so that one day they will be opportuned to come and read medicine and lucky with this new university of health sciences Azare (FUHSA) we try as much as possible to see that, being a catchment area, our own children should be given the opportunity, in fact that was why we had to argue that the cut off results for JAMB for medicine should be lowered so that our own people can have that advantage and most of our children that may want read medicine should have the opportunity to do so, the same with nursing, because most of our children don’t want to go for nursing, but with the coming of this Adamu Adamu college of nursing and then the school of nursing in the university we are encouraging our children now to go for nursing so that at least the hospitals around us and the communities around us will have people that can man these hospital without getting people from outside to come and do it for us.

Baushe times: Finally Sir, tell us brief about your home.

MD: Alhamdillahi, I am happily married for 26 years now and I am blessed by God with five children, my first child is now a medical doctor and the second child is about graduating in Petroleum engineering at ATBU while the third one is studying Architecture in Nile University and the fourth is in the secondary school, she is my only daughter while the last is here with us in primary school in Azare. My hobbies are Horse Riding, Badminton and reading.