Stakeholders hail Yobe health upgrade, free dialysis

Stakeholders in Yobe State have commended the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Muhammad Lawan Gana, for what they described as significant improvements in the state’s health sector over the past seven years.

 The stakeholders, who spoke in separate interviews with Arewa PUNCH, said the commissioner’s stewardship had contributed to the upgrading of health facilities, recruitment of health personnel and improved access to essential medical services across the state.

 They also commended the administration of Governor Mai Mala Buni for prioritising healthcare delivery, noting that policies introduced under his leadership had benefited residents and healthcare workers.

 According to them, the state’s performance in primary healthcare delivery reflected sustained efforts to strengthen health facilities and expand access to medical services, particularly at the grassroots level.

 A retired civil servant in Damaturu, the state capital, Musa Ibrahim, said the health sector had witnessed considerable improvements under Gana, citing the upgrading of hospitals, recruitment of medical personnel and the state’s success in securing grants to support healthcare delivery.

 Ibrahim, who said his experience travelling to different parts of the country had given him the opportunity to assess healthcare services in different states, described Yobe’s health sector as one of the best in the country.

 “I have travelled to different parts of this country and spent all my adulthood life here in Yobe. I can categorically tell you that the Yobe health sector is one of the best,” he said.

 He added that the commissioner had made significant contributions to revitalising the sector, particularly through improvements in primary healthcare and the provision of essential medical services.

 “The current commissioner has performed wonders. Primary healthcare in Yobe is doing well. Caesarean section surgery is free. Dialysis is also free. These are all among the efforts of the commissioner to revitalise the health sector in the state. We commend him for that,” Ibrahim said.

 The retired civil servant said the improvements recorded in the sector had made healthcare delivery a major area of progress under the state government, urging the authorities to sustain the initiatives.

 He noted that upgrading health facilities and recruiting additional personnel were important steps towards ensuring that residents could access medical services without travelling long distances in search of treatment.

 Ibrahim also highlighted the state’s success in attracting grants, describing such achievements as evidence of efforts to strengthen the health sector and improve service delivery.

 A health worker, Dr. Idriss Abubakar, also praised Gana for his contributions to improving the working environment for healthcare personnel and expanding access to services for residents.

 Abubakar said the commissioner’s policies had benefited not only health workers but also members of the public who depended on government-owned health facilities for medical care.

 “He has done so much for us as health personnel, and the residents are also benefiting from the policies that he introduced,” he said.

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 The health personnel further pointed to the expansion of primary healthcare infrastructure across the state, saying facilities had been established at the ward level to bring healthcare services closer to communities.

 “In each of the 178 wards in the state, a primary healthcare facility has been built,” Abubakar said.

 He explained that the presence of primary healthcare facilities across the wards was important in improving access to basic medical services, particularly for residents who might otherwise struggle to reach hospitals in larger towns.

 The health personnel said the benefits of improvements in the sector extended beyond infrastructure, adding that healthcare workers and residents alike had benefited from policies introduced under the commissioner’s leadership.

 A resident, Isa Adamu, also commended Governor Buni and the health commissioner for making healthcare a priority in the state.

 Adamu said the government should sustain its commitment to the sector and ensure that the improvements recorded so far continued to benefit residents.

 He urged the governor and the commissioner not to relent in their efforts to improve healthcare delivery, stressing the need for continuity in policies aimed at strengthening the sector.

 “We are urging the governor and the commissioner to keep on keeping on,” he said.

 The stakeholders maintained that the upgrading of health facilities, recruitment of personnel, expansion of primary healthcare infrastructure and provision of essential medical services were among the measures they believed had contributed to improvements in the state.

 They called on the state government to maintain its focus on healthcare delivery, noting that sustained investment and effective implementation of existing policies would remain important to ensuring that residents continued to benefit from the sector’s development.

 Speaking earlier in an interview with Arewa PUNCH, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Muhammad Lawan Gana, attributed the achievements recorded in the state’s health sector to the support of Governor Mai Mala Buni.

 Gana said the governor had prioritised improving healthcare delivery in the state, adding that the reforms and initiatives implemented in the sector were made possible through the governor’s commitment and support.

 Arewa PUNCH recalls that Yobe State emerged as the overall best performer in the 2025 Primary Healthcare Leadership Challenge, earning recognition for its commitment to strengthening primary healthcare delivery.

 The achievement came as governors across Nigeria collectively increased their health budgets to N2.36tn to strengthen primary healthcare services nationwide.

 Our correspondent reports that Yobe State emerged as the winner at the awards night held in Abuja from Friday night into the early hours of Saturday, securing a reported grand prize of $700,000 in recognition of its commitment to advancing primary healthcare services across the state.