With a population of over four million people, and a doctor population of 300, indications have emerged that Zamfara State has a ratio of one doctor to approximately 13,667 patients.
The World Health Organisation recommends one doctor for 600 patients, PUNCH HealthWise can report.
According to the Maternal, Newborn & Child Health Programmes, a country-led, UK government-funded health programme across six northern Nigerian states, Zamfara has a population of 4.1m scattered across 14 local government areas.
Findings show that the number of doctors to cater for the population is grossly inadequate amid the rising cases of coronavirus and other debilitating health issues confronting the state.
As of May 20, Zamfara has a total of 76 confirmed COVID-19 cases according to the latest update by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
Beyond the COVID-19 crisis, lead poisoning is a great public health concern in the state, according to a 2014 study published in the Journal of Health Pollution.
The study authors said due to widespread gold ore mining by artisan miners using rudimentary and unsafe processing techniques, children aged ≤6 years are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning.
The researchers focused on Kawaye, a village located in Zamfara’s Anka Local Government Area.
Again, a 2016 report citing a 2010 study by a group of national and international bodies that included the Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), the American Centres for Disease Control and Prevention noted that children in two Zamfara villages [Bukkuyum and Anka] suffered from vomiting, abdominal pain, headaches, and seizures — all of which were symptoms of lead poisoning.
The CDC wrote, as also confirmed by a World Health Organisation’s November 11, 2011 report, “After becoming ill, many of these children had died. The cause was unknown, and such a large number of childhood deaths and illnesses concerned public health officials.
“In each village, residents reported that one-fourth of all the children in their communities had died in 2019.
“The team found unsafe levels of lead inside most of the homes, and water from the community wells also had high levels of lead. Children in both villages had dangerous levels of lead in their blood.”
A Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit also led a sampling and analysis mission to investigate the lead pollution emergency in Zamfara State, following requests for assistance from the Federal Ministry of Health and the UN Resident Coordinator.
Field work focused on five villages in Anka Local Government Area), two (Abare and Sunke) of which had been confirmed as lead-contaminated; and two (Kirsa and Bagega) of which were newly suspected of contamination; and one of which had been remediated.
Meningitis is another killer disease that Zamfara experiences.