Despite Attending 5,000 Patients, Performing 400 Surgeries, NOH Jalingo Still Battling Infrastructure Gaps - MD

...Says permanent site yet to be developed, radiology remains major challenge

By Sule Wakili 

The National Orthopaedic Hospital (NOH) Jalingo has recorded over 5,000 patient consultations and more than 400 surgeries in three years, but is still operating without its permanent site and battling infrastructural deficits.

The Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Chubado Tahir, disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Jalingo.

Prof. Tahir, a surgeon, said the hospital has achieved a lot including successful total joint replacements, despite operating from a temporary site within the Taraba State Specialist Hospital.

He identified Radiology as one of the major challenges currently confronting the hospital, but expressed optimism that it would soon be fixed.

He said to bridge manpower gaps, the hospital has engaged visiting consultants from Kano, Maiduguri and Enugu, and sponsored 16 nurses for one-year specialized training.

According to him, the hospital boasts of one of the best theatre rooms and recently acquired more laboratory equipment to boost service delivery.

Prof. Tahir said the establishment of the orthopaedic hospital in the North-East was a major relief, as patients previously had to travel to Kano or Enugu for such specialist care.

He disclosed that the hospital has received two ambulances in three months as donations from the Federal and State Governments, describing the gesture as encouraging.

While commending the Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, for his reforms under President Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, he thanked the Taraba State Government for donating the temporary site, allocating land for the permanent site and recently donating an ambulance.

"Even this temporary site the state government gave us inside the Specialist Hospital is not a small gesture. They also allocated land for our permanent site. Recently, the Governor also gave us an ambulance. We have nothing to say but thank you, thank you and thank you. But like Oliver Twist, we will keep appealing," he said.

He also lauded the North East Development Commission (NEDC) for its support and appealed to wealthy individuals in the region to support the hospital, noting that government alone cannot make it one of the best in Nigeria.