Yobe to spend N133 million on 300 Boko Haram victims’ medical bills

 Some of the victims may be taken abroad for treatment.

The Yobe State Government said on Thursday that it would spend about $830,000 (N133 million) to provide medical treatment  to 300 patients and victims of Boko Haram attacks whose conditions require medical treatment outside the state. Some of the victims would be taken abroad for treatment.

Abdullahi Bego, the spokesman of the Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, said, “it is part of ongoing efforts to provide succor to the less privileged as an interim measure.”

He said the government was working to re-position the state’s health sector through massive renovation of hospitals and provision of equipment and drugs.

“Some of the conditions/procedures for which the patients were supported by the government on the recommendations of the state medical board include kidney transplant, open heart surgery, cardiac catheterization, spinal cord surgery, knee and hip replacement therapy, and several orthopedic and ophthalmology cases referred to hospitals within the country including Dala Orthopedic Hospital, National Eye Center Kaduna and other hospitals in India and Egypt.

Among the 300 patients, 18 were supported to undergo knee and hip replacement therapy and other orthopedic procedures to treat gunshot wounds sustained in various attacks by criminals and insurgents.

‘The number also includes less privileged patients with chronic conditions such as advanced diabetes and chronic liver disease who require regular medications but are not in a position to provide on their own,” the spokesman said.

He said the state governor “granted approval for the release of funds to support these patients on humanitarian grounds.”

Yobe is one of the states most besieged by the Boko Haram terrorists. A recent attack on an Agriculture college left at least 44 people dead.