By Uzair Adam Imam
The level of dilapidation in Sir Muhammadu Sunusi Specialist Hospital, Yankaba, Kano, has graduated something not less monstrous.
Despite the Kano State Government’s claim that Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s second tenure would pay more attention to health and education, patients in the hospital have recounted their harrowing tales of how they live miserably without water and light.
Our reporter visited the hospital. He met some patients in dire situations, fighting excessive heat with their hand fans, which has thrown many of them into a dilemma.
The Daily Reality learned that all the taps in the hospital are not working, except one borehole, which the patients said works for less than one hour every day.
Recounting their experiences, some patient sitters complained that they used sachet water, alias pure water, to bathe, flush toilets, make ablutions and wash their dishes.
They also complained about the lack of electricity, which they said was responsible for many problems in the hospital.
A patient, who pleaded anonymity, complained that he spent days without bathing because almost all the sources of water in the hospital were dead.,
He said, “I spend days without bathing because there is no water. Sometimes our brothers go outside the hospital and call a water vendor (“dan ga–ruwa“).
“Also, after all these difficulties, we slept in the dark without light at night. Mosquitoes exploit the opportunity to disturb our nights. The situation is just terrible.”
Also, a patient sitter, Mukhtar Muhammad (not real name), stated that they really faced difficulties mainly at night.
He said, “There is neither electricity nor water in the hospital. Thus we live in the heat with mosquitos singing and biting our patients and us.
“I have wanted to use water since yesterday. But there is no water in the tap. So I had to go outside in search of a water vendor.”
No water to wash new-born babies
Aishatu Isma’il decried that it was indeed a slap on the face for a big hospital like Sir Sunusi to allow this problem to be exacerbated.
“How can you imagine the state of a hospital without water or electricity? You would have shaded tears if you see women as they gave birth; there would be no water to clean the mother or her baby,” she bitterly said.
A group of four women, who happened to be patient sitters of their relatives, confided in our reporter that they used sachets water for there was no water in the hospital.
They added that there was no water in the hospital to even flush the toilets after being used.
They added that the condition of the hospital’s pharmacy too was deplorable as one would only get one or two medicine out of the five or six he was looking for.
The patients also urged the Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to set up a committee to investigate the matter.
Responding, the Managing Director of the hospital, Dr Abdussalam Usman Danjaji, told our reporter that all preparations to address the issues were in top gear.
Danjaji said, “Due to the electricity problem, the diesel provided to us by the government was never enough to use for thirty days.
“And we don’t want to add additional charges to what people are paying. If we do that, we can provide people with light, only that many people cannot afford to settle their bills,” he added.