Civil servants in Niger state to embark on mandatory annual medical check-up

Commenting on the sudden death of Hajiya Bilkisu Mahmoud, a staff of the State Emergency Management Agency who reportedly died in his office, Babangida Aliyu, governor of Niger state, northern Nigeria has directed the state Civil Service Commission to make it compulsory for every civil servant in a start to embark on mandatory medical check-up.


Contrary to media reports, he said the deceased did not die in his office but was rushed to the Minna General Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

“Doctors said she died of cardiac asthma, even though she had been receiving treatment for pulmonary asthma,’’ he said.

He said her death could have been avoided had she sought for a second opinion about her ailment.

“I am sure if she had gone to seek second opinion, another doctor would have found out that the drugs she was given were not the ones she should have been given,” he said.

“Many of us, including myself, are lousy about our health and doing exercises.

“I know many people don’t want to go for medical check-ups, because they do not want to know their status. If you ask people to do HIV test, they are so afraid. They prefer not to know.

“So, maybe we will take this year as a year of (medical) test for every civil servant, no matter how much it will take us. We must do it as a record and foundation to know who may need further medical attention and who may not,” he said.

Aliyu added that the woman’s death was not going to be in vain.

“Sometimes, one person’s death can (help us to) make many corrections. We have to save other people who are not aware of their ailment, because they don’t want to know and some have not even tried to know,” he said.