By HABIBU HARISU

Gov. Ahmad Aliyu of Sokoto State, on Monday paid an unscheduled visit to the Sokoto Specialist Hospital to ascertain the quality of services provided by the outfit.

Malam Abubakar Bawa, the Press Secretary to the governor, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Sokoto.

Bawa said that the governor’s decision to visit the health facility unannounced followed series of concerns raised by citizens of the state over poor service delivery.

The press secretary added that other concerns that forced the governor to visit the hospital were dilapidated structures, erratic power supply, dearth of manpower and lack of functional medical equipment, among others,

He said that the governor visited the hospital in a tricycle in order to get first-hand information from its workers.

“I was surprised with what I saw during my visit to the hospital which lasted for four hours; it afforded me opportunity to see things for myself.

“Patients and their relatives are subjected to all kinds of hazardous situations owing to dirty environment and lack of functional equipment in the medical facility.

“Patients’ relatives rely solely on alternative sources of power due to erratic electricity supply in the hospital.

“I have directed the management of the hospital to see me for further discussions on how to remedy the situation,” Bawa quoted the governor as saying.

A top management source told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the poor state of things at the hospital was due to the inability of past administrations in the state to release the monthly allocations due it. (NAN)