No Functional CT Scan, MRI Machine In Taraba

• Stroke Patients, Others Travel To Gombe, Jos For 'Simple Diagnosis'

Taraba State, despite significant investments in healthcare infrastructure, continues to grapple with a critical shortage of essential medical equipment. This deficiency has forced countless patients to seek medical care in neighboring states, often at great personal and financial cost.

In the last seven years Taraba State governments had spent over five billion Naira on installation of Magnetic Resonate Images MRI in Takum, Wukari, Bambur and Gembu General hospitals, however none of the machine is functional.

In Bambur and Wukari, the machine were never supplied to the General Hospitals, investigations reveal.

Investigations by Taraba Truth and Facts Newspapers also revealed that no functional CT Scan machines in any government owned hospitals across Taraba State forcing patients to travel to neighbouring States for basic medical diagnosis.

Jalingo the Taraba State capital houses two tertiary medical facilities, Federal Medical Centre FMC and the State Specialist Hospital.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. 

MRI is used to detect brain tumors, traumatic brain injury, developmental anomalies, multiple sclerosis, stroke, dementia, infection, and the causes of headache.

While a computed tomography CT Scan allows doctors to see inside your body. It uses a combination of X-rays and a computer to create pictures of your organs, bones, and other tissues. It shows more detail than a regular X-ray.

Several medical doctors who spoke to Taraba Truth and Facts Newspapers said that many patients in the state are in need of these medical equipment for proper diagnosis and management of their aliments. 

At Taraba State Specialist Hospital Jalingo, investigation reveals that a section was renovated for MRI scan but it has been under lock and was never put to use.

A medical official at the hospital said some equipments like MRI machine and CT scanner were once installed at the facility but was never functioned due to several reasons.

"We have some equipment that have not been properly installed, it's possible the MRI machine is part of them but we cannot do MRI scan, we used to have CT Scan in Jalingo but it has not being functional in a very long time, usually refer our patients to Gombe, Bauchi or Jos. I am aware that Yobe state now have MRI but have not referred anyone there maybe because distance.

" We also don't have special consultants who can handle cases that required these equipment due to the Japa syndrome. The challenges are much and we hope this new government will tackle them. Truth be told its shameful for us not to have functional medical equipments like these in the state," a senior medical practitioner told this newspaper.

The another medical practitioner said many medical cases have been wrongly diagnosed because of absence of these medical equipment in the state.

"We have lost a lot of patients due to poor diagnosis of their aliments, like brain tumors it is best handled if detected early but patients have to travel for days for a MRI scan to detect the level of the tumors. Same thing for stroke patients who needed CT Scan for their treatment," the medical practitioner said.

In Gembu General hospital, investigation reveals that some component of the machine was supplied but was not installed because parts were missing.

The supplied components were however warehoused within the General Hospital and not currently used when visited by this reporter.

At Bambur General hospital, several officials said MRI machine was not supplied to the facility.

"We can't do Chest X Ray, we don't have CT Scan nor MRI machine here in Karim Lamido, we usually refer our patients to Jalingo for such tests," a medical official who doesn't want to be mentioned said.

The Doctor requested I do an MRI scan after I suffered partial stroke in December 2023, I was surprised that no single MRI machine is functional in Taraba State, I was referred to Gombe where I did the scan, travelling was hectic because of the bad road which almost complicated my situation.

"In Gombe I met a lot of people from Jalingo who came to do CT Scan and I was ashamed that my state does not have these equipment."

In Wukari General hospital, investigation indicates that no MRI machine was installed at the facility.

"We don't have CT Scan and MRI machine in Wukari, it's never true that government brought those machine to General Hospital Wukari, we have never had such facilities we usually refer people to Jalingo, Markudi or Jos.

"I know of a stroke patient that died on his way to Jos because of the stress of travelling on a bad road, the man was referred to Jos for CT Scan, he didn't make it back to Wukari, if we had such facilities the case could have been managed properly here."

From 2018 to 2023, Taraba State government every year made budgetary allocations for purchasing and installation of MRI machines.

In 2018, the State Government under Governor Dairus Ishaku contracted the procurement of four (4) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines for the General Hospitals in Wukari, Gembu and Takum Specialist Hospital in the sum of Two Billion, Six million Naira (N2,600,000,000.00) only. 

In 2020, Governor Darius Ishaku also claimed to have to be installing solar powered roofs at the selected hospitals for the MRI machines since they required constant power supply for them to function.

Incumbent Governor Agbu Kefas at the occasion of the 2024 budget presentation at the State House of Assembly last December also listed the installation of magnetic Resonate Images in Takum, Wukari, Bambur and Gembu; Solar panel Housing in 4 General hospital as part of government efforts of giving Taraba citizens quality health care services.