Patients at Turai Yar’adua Maternity and Children Hospital in the Katsina metropolis have appealed to the state government to provide a functional X-ray machine in the hospital.

The patients made the appeal while expressing their concerns in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Katsina on Saturday.

During a visit to the hospital, some of the patients told NAN that the X-ray machine had not worked for about five months.

One of the patients, Bala Abubakar, disclosed that the machine was working perfectly before, but later developed a problem.

“About five months ago, I was here with a patient who required an X-ray, but we were told that the machine was faulty, so we had to take him to the general hospital.

“A big government hospital like Turai, I can’t believe an X-ray machine will develop a problem, and spend about five months without being fixed or replaced.

“Therefore, the government should please provide and install a new X-ray machine or repair the one they already have,” Malam Bala appealed to Gov. Dikko Radda.

Amina Balarabe, another patient who narrated a similar experience, appealed to the governor to, as a matter of urgency, do something to fix the x-ray machine.

Some of the hospital’s staff who confirmed the situation, said the machine only needed to be repaired, and it might not cost more than N3 million.

Also, in an interview with NAN, the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Katsina State Hospital Management Service Board, Mohammed Kabir, said they were aware of the issue, and that efforts were being made to fix the machine.

According to him, it is a long process, but finally the technician who will repair the machine has been booked. He expressed hope that by the end of February, the problem will be over.

He called on wealthy individuals, companies, organisations, NGOs, and other philanthropists to also contribute their quota, instead of leaving everything in the hands of the government.

(NAN)