Musa Ubandawaki, Sokoto
The management of Sokoto Specialist Hospital has rejected allegations circulating on social media that doctors were absent from the hospital’s Emergency Ward, describing the claim as inaccurate and capable of misleading the public.
The controversy arose from a viral post alleging that the Emergency Ward of the state-owned hospital was operating without doctors, prompting questions over the availability of medical personnel to attend to patients requiring urgent care.
However, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Attahiru Isa Sokoto, said the allegation was not a true reflection of the situation at the facility.
He explained that the Emergency Ward and other critical sections of the hospital operate continuously, with doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers assigned to duty through an established roster.
“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,” Dr. Attahiru said.
He said the hospital maintains a functional duty roster to guarantee continuity of services, stressing that patients are not left without medical attention because of the temporary absence of an individual member of staff.
“We have a functional duty roster and no patient has been denied care due to lack of personnel,” he stated.
The CMD also explained the circumstances surrounding the doctor allegedly reported to be absent when the person who made the social media post visited the hospital.
According to him, the doctor on call had spent the night at the hospital but briefly left the facility to observe the early morning prayer and was therefore not absent from duty as alleged.
“The doctor on call as at the time of the visit of the person who posted the viral video, who slept at the hospital, had just gone to observe the early morning prayer and was never absent or truant,” he said.
Dr. Attahiru said the hospital had undergone significant changes in manpower, equipment and infrastructure, which he attributed to interventions by the Sokoto State Government under Governor Ahmed Aliyu.
He said additional medical personnel had been deployed to the facility, while modern medical equipment and infrastructural upgrades had also been provided to strengthen its capacity to handle emergency and specialist cases.
“The present administration has invested heavily in the health sector. Sokoto Specialist Hospital now boasts of modern equipment and adequate manpower to cater for the health needs of our people,” the CMD said.
He urged members of the public to verify allegations concerning healthcare facilities before circulating them, stressing that inaccurate information could undermine confidence in emergency medical services and create unnecessary anxiety among patients and their relatives.
Dr. Attahiru advised anyone with complaints about the hospital’s services to report directly to the management for verification and appropriate action, rather than relying on unverified social media reports.
