A day after a 46- year- old woman, Hajiya Bilkisu Mahmoud reportedly slumped and died in the office of Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu , the northern state governor has directed the State Civil Service to evolve modalities for a mandatory annual medical check-up for all civil servants in the state.
The governor has however denied that Mrs Mahmoud died inhis office. He claimed that woman died at Minna General Hospital .
“Doctors said she died of cardiac asthma, even though she had been receiving treatment for pulmonary asthma,’’ Aliu said.
Aliyu said Mahmoud’s 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.
The governor said the medical test for civil servants had become necessary in view of the increasing number of people who were non-chalant about the state of their health.
“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.
