- Says Jibu facility is a Primary Health Care Centre, not a General Hospital
- Says 146 PHCs are undergoing upgrade across Taraba, over 100 Completed.
- Defends Kefas’ health-sector interventions, says government cannot fix everything in One day.
- Highlights free medical outreach, recruitment of health workers and Specialist Hospital modernisation
By Taraba News
The Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bordiya Gbansheya Buma, has dismissed reports referring to a health facility in Jibu, Wukari Local Government Area, as “Jibu General Hospital,” insisting that there is no General Hospital bearing that name in Taraba State.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Taraba News, the Commissioner said pictures being circulated and presented as the supposed Jibu General Hospital were AI-generated and did not represent a General Hospital in the community.
According to him, the health facility in Jibu is a Primary Health Care Centre and is among the 146 PHCs currently being upgraded by the administration of Governor Agbu Kefas out which over 100 is already completed withmodern facilities, fencing, hospital equipment etc.
“There is nothing like Jibu General Hospital in Taraba State,” the Commissioner said.
He explained that the General Hospital in Wukari was handed over to the Federal Government and now forms part of the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Wukari.
Dr. Buma said it was therefore misleading to use pictures of a supposed “Jibu General Hospital” to assess the state of healthcare infrastructure in Taraba when no facility with that designation exists.
“GOVERNMENT CANNOT DO EVERYTHING AT ONCE”
The Commissioner acknowledged that the state still faces challenges in the health sector but said the Kefas administration inherited years of neglect and has begun addressing infrastructure, manpower, equipment and access to healthcare across the state.
He argued that it would be unrealistic to expect all the problems accumulated over the years to be resolved simultaneously.
“Government cannot do everything at once,” he said, stressing that what should be assessed is whether the government has identified the problems and is making measurable efforts to address them.
According to him, 146 Primary Health Care Centres across Taraba State are already benefiting from the government’s intervention programme, including the PHC serving Jibu community.
Dr. Buma said Governor Kefas “deserves his flowers” for the progress recorded so far in the health sector, while acknowledging that much work remains to be done.
JALINGO SPECIALIST HOSPITAL MODERNISATION
The Commissioner also pointed to the ongoing modernisation of the Specialist Hospital in Jalingo as one of the major health-sector interventions of the administration.
He said the project is part of a broader effort to strengthen secondary and specialised healthcare services and reduce the pressure faced by residents seeking quality medical treatment.
According to him, the government is pursuing improvements at different levels of the healthcare system rather than concentrating its interventions in one location.
FREE MEDICAL CARE ACROSS 16 LGAs
Dr. Buma also highlighted the free medical outreach programme being implemented across the 16 local government areas of Taraba State.
He said the exercise has already been conducted in local government areas including Zing, Gassol and Wukari, with other LGAs expected to benefit as the programme progresses.
The Commissioner said the programme is intended to take medical services closer to residents, particularly people who may be unable to afford some forms of treatment.
He maintained that the programme demonstrates the administration’s commitment to expanding access to healthcare beyond major hospitals in Jalingo and other urban centres.
KEFAS’ HEALTH WORKERS RECRUITMENT
Another major intervention cited by the Commissioner is the recruitment of health personnel.
Dr. Buma said the Kefas administration has undertaken what he described as an unprecedented recruitment of healthcare workers, which he said ranks among the largest exercises carried out by any administration in the history of Taraba State.
According to him, the recruitment cuts across doctors, nurses, community health workers and other categories of medical personnel.
He disclosed that the recruitment process is continuing as the government works to address manpower shortages in health facilities across the state.
The Commissioner said constructing or renovating hospitals without providing adequate medical personnel would not solve the healthcare challenges confronting the state, hence the government’s simultaneous focus on infrastructure and human resources.
DRUGS, CONSUMABLES AND MEDICAL EQUIPMENT
Dr. Buma further said the administration has supplied drugs, hospital consumables and other medical materials to health facilities as part of efforts to improve service delivery.
He maintained that the interventions should be considered collectively when assessing the performance of the government in the health sector.
The Commissioner also said the administration has provided mobile ambulance services across the wards of the state to strengthen emergency response and improve access to healthcare, particularly in communities far from major hospitals.
He said the government remains committed to improving healthcare delivery despite the scale of the challenges it inherited.
“GIVE THE GOVERNOR HIS FLOWERS”
Responding to criticism of healthcare delivery in Taraba, Dr. Buma said constructive criticism is necessary but should be based on verifiable facts and a fair assessment of what the administration has done.
He insisted that the state government has never claimed that every health-sector problem has been solved.
Rather, he said the administration has embarked on reforms and interventions that will require time to reach every community.
According to him, the governor should be given credit for the progress already made while government continues working on areas requiring further attention.
The Commissioner maintained that criticism should not be built around a facility that does not exist or images that do not reflect the actual situation on the ground.
For residents of Jibu and other communities still requiring improved healthcare infrastructure, he said the government’s ongoing PHC upgrade programme is intended to progressively address such gaps.
Taraba News will continue to independently monitor the condition of health facilities across the state, including the ongoing upgrade of the 146 Primary Health Care Centres, recruitment and deployment of health personnel, provision of medicines and equipment, and the modernisation of the Jalingo Specialist Hospital.
