From Bashir Rabe Mani, Sokoto
The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Sokoto Specialist Hospital, Dr. Attahiru Isa Sokoto, has refuted social media claims alleging that no doctors were on duty at the facility’s Emergency Ward.
The clarification follows a viral video questioning the effectiveness of the State Commissioner for Health after asserting that the state’s largest government-owned hospital lacked medical personnel in its emergency unit.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Sokoto, Dr. Attahiru described the allegations as false, misleading, and aimed at causing panic.
He emphasized that the emergency ward and all critical units remain fully staffed and operational 24 hours a day.
“For the avoidance of doubt, doctors, nurses, and other health workers are on duty at the Emergency Ward of Sokoto Specialist Hospital round the clock.
We operate a functional duty roster, and no patient has been denied care due to a lack of personnel,”Dr. Attahiru stated.
Addressing the incident captured in the viral video, the CMD explained that the doctor on night duty had briefly stepped away to observe the early morning prayer and was neither absent nor truant.
Dr. Attahiru highlighted the state government’s ongoing investments under Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, noting that the facility has undergone significant upgrades after being inherited in a state of neglect.
Key updates cited by the hospital administration include:
Deployment of additional medical personnel across units.
“Provision of modern diagnostic and treatment equipment.
Infrastructure rehabilitation and facility upgrades.
“The present administration has invested heavily in the health sector. Sokoto Specialist Hospital now boasts modern equipment and adequate manpower to cater to the health needs of our people,” he added.
The CMD urged the public to disregard the viral claims and encouraged aggrieved parties to direct complaints through official hospital channels rather than circulating unverified reports on social media.
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