We have trained not less than 250 staff in various fields – Medical Director, FMC Nguru

By Mohammed Kaka Misau, Bauchi

The Medical Director, Federal Medical Center Nguru, Yobe state, Dr. Abubakar Musa has disclosed that no fewer than 250 staff of the hospital have been sent on training in various fields with a view to boosting their health care delivery capacity.

Dr. Musa who made this known on Wednesday, said that the Centre during his tenure alone, succeeded in sending the benefiting staff on both short and long term training.

Speaking further on his achievements, Dr. Abubakar Musa said in terms of physical infrastructure, the previous administration did a lot, pointing out that he has worked tirelessly to ensure continuity.

The previous Management of the center did a lot and initiated the construction works in the new site after identifying that there was no room for expansion in the previous site we were occupying.

He said by identifying the problem, the Yobe state government donated the piece of land the Centre is now using as permanent site.

“So, we decided that the only way we can effectively move over here is to do it in phases and not to wait until we complete the entire permanent site before we move in, which is what we realized had happened to some of our sister institutions and we realized that there are institutions who started their permanent site and for more than 20 years they have not been able to move because they are waiting to finish everything completely”, Dr. Musa noted.

He said when they started their own, they started with outpatient services, built antenatal clinic, the Medical Records annex attached to it as well as the General Outpatient Department for a start.

“So, gradually, as more physical structures came into being, we relocated the services we were rendering at the old site over here and finally in 2012, we officially moved in here and commenced all our services here”, the MD recalled.

“As at two years ago, we have on record that we erected not less than 35 physical structures in this Centre. So, when I took over, I just continued from where my predecessor stopped. And being part of the Management and the decision making process all along, so, it was very easy for me to continue and I also built on what has already been established”, he said.

The Doctor further explained that, “projects , like physiotherapy department which has been ongoing before I took over, I ensured that priority was giving to complete them, we initiated new projects that we feel will better the lots of our patients”, the medical director said.

He said additional wards such as Orthopaedic ward were constructed to cater for the additional bed spaces needed for the ever increasing patients.

“Then, we had constraints of operating theatre space because like I said, we kept on recruiting more staff, those who have gone on training were coming back and have acquired new skills, we have also been procuring additional modern medical equipment annually, so we needed to expand”, he said.

Dr. Musa said the Management of the hospital under his tenure has built an operating theater complex. The theatre is decentralized and operate in units.

“So, we had the O and G and the casualty theatres and we have now constructed the orthopaedic theatre. Work is currently ongoing on another theatre that will also serve other specialties”, he said.