The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has urged Governor Abdullahi Sule to urgently address manpower shortages and deteriorating infrastructure at the General Hospital, Nasarawa, warning that the situation is undermining healthcare delivery in the area.
The House also called on the state government to provide essential medical equipment and facilities to general hospitals across Nasarawa State to improve access to quality healthcare, particularly for residents of rural communities.
The Speaker, Dr. Danladi Jatau, announced the resolution during plenary in Lafia on Wednesday, following a Matter of Public Interest raised by Hajara Danyaro Ibrahim, representing Nasarawa Central Constituency under the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Jatau urged the governor to direct the Ministry of Health and the Hospitals Management Board to deploy adequate numbers of doctors, nurses and other relevant personnel to the facility.
He also stressed the need to equip general hospitals across the state, noting that an effective healthcare system was essential to the wellbeing and development of the population.
“The resolution of the House is to the effect that His Excellency, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, is urged to direct relevant agencies, the Ministry of Health and the Hospitals Management Board, to deploy sufficient manpower, doctors and nurses to General Hospital Nasarawa,” the Speaker said.
He subsequently directed the Clerk of the House to transmit the resolution to the governor for necessary action.
Earlier, Ibrahim painted a grim picture of the hospital’s condition, citing inadequate medical personnel, unreliable access to basic utilities and poorly maintained facilities.
She disclosed that the hospital reportedly had only one doctor and one nurse attending to between 20 and 30 cases at a time, a situation she described as alarming.
“It is unfortunate, we have only one doctor and a nurse attending to 20 or 30 cases at a time. There is no electricity, no water, and the toilets are in bad condition,” she said.
The lawmaker further alleged that patients and their relatives were sometimes asked to bring water from home for use within the hospital, describing the experience as distressing for people seeking medical care.
Ibrahim said she had repeatedly raised concerns with the Hospitals Management Board but had yet to see meaningful improvements. She consequently called on the state government to declare a state of emergency at the facility.
“I want the state government to declare a state of emergency in General Hospital Nasarawa. No staff, no electricity, no water, patients bring water from home. The hospital is just a building standing on its own,” she added.
To address the staffing crisis, the lawmaker appealed for the deployment of three doctors and 10 nurses from Nasarawa Local Government Area to serve in the hospital and cater to the healthcare needs of their community.
Other lawmakers, including Yusuf Aliyu Chunbaya and Abel Yakubu Bala, supported the motion and called for urgent intervention to prevent further deterioration of the hospital and other public health facilities across the state.
They maintained that the Assembly would not remain passive while general hospitals continued to face challenges capable of compromising healthcare delivery.