Jigawa: Community Rejects Polio Vaccine, Decries Stealing Hospital Equipments

Map of Jigawa State:

By Salisu K Ismail

Following the recently alleged stealing of hospital equipments in Jikas, a community under Gwaram local government area, Jigawa state, Residents of the area have rejected the ongoing polio vaccination exercise in protest of government inability to take necessary actions on what they suspected to be a negligence and nepotism from the part of the medical officer in the village.

Newskeeper reports that, The residents took the measure this weekend as a way of showcasing their anger to redraw attention of the government on the community's hospital which is serving as the only place to seek health care for hundreds of people in the village.

A number of furious youths in Jikas and other settlements who gathered in the area while holding a peaceful demonstration and chanting different slogans stoped the vaccinators at their arrival into the town, trying to spreads them selves to administer the vaccine to the children.

One among the protesting youths, identified as Bala Kurkur Jikas in an audio obtained by newskeeper reporter said that, "we will not allow our children to take the vaccine until the state government has investigate and prosecutes a medical officer in the town's (Jikas) Primary Health Care Centre, in connection to the alleged stealing of some medical equipment of the clinic.

"some very important medical equipment worth over one million Naira and deep freezer had been stolen from the clinic and we are suspecting the medical officer," he revealed in the audio.

"The equipments got missing since June and there after a preliminary findings, the medical officer of the clinic appears to be guilty and we reported the matter to authority, but no action was taken," said a speaker among the protesting youths.

According to him, Jikas community have wrote a formal complain to Chairman Gwaram local government council, ministry of health and department of state's security but yet there is no action".

"We're very much worry that, the prime suspect who's a women is still in the hospital, she had not even been transferred talkless of investigating her," he added.

"After a serious pressure the chairman of the local councils and some our people agree to force her to pay back by deduction from her monthly salary till she paid in full".

However, Malam Bala Jikas explained further that, "Our claim is not to intimidate or to force her to payback the stolen equipments but to investigate, arrest and prosecutes whoever proved to be connected to the case in order to serve it as a deterrant lesson to avoid similar occurance in the future."

Responding when contacted, The Executive Secretary of the state's Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Kabiru Ibrahim, said the matter was resolved and the vaccination continue in the villages.

Concernig the reported matter of stolen and missed equipments in Jikas Primary Health Care Centre, The E.S explained that, appreciate actions were taken on the principal suspect.

Highlighting further that, "The Medical Officer of the clinic, who's the principal suspect now on the run had been suspended with her salary, and declared her wanted by the Police as investigation is still going."