April 1, (THEWILL)- The Kano State Hospitals Management Board has dismissed three medical staff of the Kabo General Hospital over alleged extortion.
Similarly, the board has suspended the accountant, auditor and head of laboratory of the hospital for selling free HIV test kits.
The Executive Secretary of the Board, Dr. Mansur Nagoda, announced the sanctions after an unscheduled inspection visit to the facility.
A statement by Samira Sulaiman, Spokesperson of the board, on Monday, said that Dr. Nagoda, who was accompanied by the Director General, Kano State Centre for Disease Control (KNCDC), Dr. Muhammad Abbas and Director General, State Agency for the Control of AIDS (SACA), Dr. Usman Bashir, expressed dissatisfaction with the state of the public facility.
According to Dr. Nagoda, the dismissed staff of the X-ray units were caught charging the sum of N12,000 for a procedure that was officially approved for N2,000.
Worst still, the statement said innocent patients were being forced to pay the illegal charges without any document to show evidence of payment.
“This act of sabotage and extortion has sent many patients away, thereby leaving the facility to carry out less than 10 X-rays per week despite the fact that the two X-ray batteries are functional,” the Executive Secretary said.
He said that the suspended accountant, auditor and head of laboratory are to report to the board’s headquarters for further disciplinary action.
“These decisions we took should serve as a deterrent to others. We took an oath of office, so we will stick to that oath and sanitise the health system,” he warned.
Abdullahi Yusuf is a seasoned journalist, communicator and was previously the Deputy Editor-In-Chief and Zonal Manager, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Jos, where he retired on December 15, 2021
