Naira scarcity: Zulum orders govt hospitals to give patients free drugs

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, has ordered the release of over N300 million worth of drugs and other medical supplies to government hospitals for free distribution to patients most of whom were facing difficulties in making payments due to scarcity of new and old naira notes.

The Borno State Commissioner of Health and Human Services, Prof. Mohammed Arab, made this known while unveiling the drugs at the ministry’s stores located along Baga road in Maiduguri, the state capital, on Wednesday.

The supplies included drugs for prevalent illnesses, maternal delivery kits, and other medical essentials.

The commissioner directed medical directors and principal medical officers of public healthcare centres in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and Jere to quickly prepare procedural papers to receive their allocations for immediate deployment of the drugs and other supplies.

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Arab stressed that the drugs must be given free to patients that have no money at hand or those that have problem in accessing their funds to pay their service.

He said officials will rely on patients to be honest because Zulum noted that “while we know some people may have money and still demand free drugs by pretending they lack funds, we cannot because some dishonest people, refuse to help those in need.”

Arab, on behalf of health workers across the state, thanked Governor Zulum for coming to the aid of patients at a critical period, a move which he described as humane.

The commissioner added that the Borno State Ministry of Health was liaising with the state’s Board of Internal Revenue with the state’s Board of Internal Revenue which is responsible for all collections of payments in public hospitals, and the First Bank Plc which is the financial institution involved with the payment issues, towards providing more Point of Sale (POS) machines at public hospitals across the state.

On their parts, the Medical Directors and Principal Medical Officers of public hospitals said they were happy with Governor Zulum’s release of N300 million worth of drugs.

The Star