Jigawa Health Facilities Struggling with In-Patient Feeding, JiMAF Reports
The Jigawa State Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Accountability Forum (JiMAF) has raised significant concerns over the exclusion of several health facilities from the state’s government-funded feeding program and the subpar quality of food being provided to in-patients at secondary and selected Primary Health Centers (PHCs) across Jigawa.
In a statement issued by Comrade Isah Mustapha, acting co-chair of JiMAF, the forum highlighted troubling findings from a recent spot check and desk review carried out by its member organization, ELIP-Initiative. These findings revealed severe gaps in the feeding program in Jigawa’s healthcare facilities.
“JiMAF observed with dismay how in-patients were barely fed in most secondary and some selected PHCs in the state,” the statement noted.
Currently, 36 health facilities in Jigawa are meant to provide meals for in-patients, including 10 General Hospitals, 2 Cottage Hospitals, 2 Specialist Hospitals (TBL and Psychiatric), and 22 PHCs. However, only 24 out of these 36 facilities are actively providing food, leaving 12 facilities excluded from the program, which means patients in these facilities are left to fend for themselves.
The forum further noted that, on average, 1,796 in-patients are admitted daily across all eligible facilities, but only 1,552 of them receive government-funded meals. The remaining 244 in-patients at excluded PHCs are without any feeding support, including 295 patients in the 12 PHCs and 2 cottage hospitals.
In light of these challenges, JiMAF called on the Jigawa State Ministry of Health to enhance its monitoring and supervision to ensure contractors uphold their agreements. The forum also urged authorities to take action against defaulting contractors and put an end to the practice of sourcing food from roadside vendors for hospital patients.
Despite these issues, JiMAF acknowledged the state government’s efforts to improve the healthcare system and urged swift action to address the gaps in the feeding program, ensuring that all in-patients across Jigawa’s health facilities receive adequate nutrition.
