Why Taraba Govt Shutdown Specialist Hospital

The Taraba State Government has explained that it ordered the temporary shutdown of the state-owned Specialist Hospital in Jalingo over environmental and safety hazards arising from ongoing renovation and construction works at the hospital.

Before the latest development, LEADERSHIP Sunday learnt that despite the state government’s huge investment in the health sector, the facilities across various departments and units at the supposed specialist hospital are not only obsolete and deteriorating, but the decayed infrastructure accommodating sick persons was a concern.

Governor Agbu Kefas, who approved the closure at the instance of the state Ministry of Health, conveyed the directive to the Chief Medical Director (CMD), which LEADERSHIP Sunday had in possession.

A letter dated January 8, 2026 and signed by the State Commissioner of Health, Dr Bordiya Buma, explained that suspending hospital activities would allow contractors to carry out renovation works unhindered and at an accelerated pace.

According to Dr Buma, in the letter, the ministry directed the hospital management to ensure full compliance by halting all services temporarily pending the completion of the renovation exercise.

It letter reads in part: “Following the ongoing overhaul of the above-mentioned facility, which you are aware of, and the attendant environmental hazards associated with such construction works, His Excellency, the Governor of Taraba State, Dr. Agbu Kefas, has directed that activities within the hospital be suspended to pave the way for the contractor and his men to work without hindrances and speedily too.

“In view of this development, I pass this information to you with the instruction that you close down the hospital temporarily pending the renovation work.”

The state government did not, however, announce a specific reopening date of the facility, but it assured residents that hospital services would resume immediately after the completion of the renovation works.

The Taraba State Specialist Hospital is the state’s foremost referral health facility, after the Federal Medical Center Jalingo, serving patients from across Taraba and neighbouring states.

At the time of the announcement of the closure, a visit by LEADERSHIP to the facility revealed that several patients were still receiving treatment across different wards, most of whom are in critical condition.

A check at the dialysis unit shows that patients with chronic kidney disease appeared stranded, as dialysis, being a life-sustaining procedure that requires strict regularity, was halted.

Concerns were also heightened by reports that, the dialysis machines at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, are currently not functioning, raising fears that a total shutdown of the Specialist Hospital could result in avoidable deaths.

In the maternity and medical wards, skeletal activities were still ongoing, as some patients, who are already receiving treatment cannot withstand abrupt disruption of care without severe or fatal consequences.

Medical experts warn that patients requiring dialysis, blood transfusions, emergency obstetric care, trauma management, intensive monitoring, oxygen therapy, or cardiac care are particularly vulnerable to service interruptions.

For such cases, continuity of care is not optional but lifesaving, as according to the state government, the closure of the hospital is not connected to the expiration of the CMDs tenure, contrary to the speculations in some quarters.