Kano — The free maternal and children below 0-5 medical services provided by the Kano state government is being threatened by shortage of qualified health workers especially in the rural areas.

A survey conducted by Partnership for the Promotion of Maternal and Child Health (PPCMH), a Nongovernmental organisation out to assist women to have safe delivery has revealed.

Presenting the survey findings at a one-day retreat, the chairperson of the organisation Hajiya Hafsat Kolo said the survey was undertaken in September 2012 across nine health facilities in Gwarzo, Bebeji, Wudil, Ungogo, Danbatta, Gaya, Gezawa, Fagge and Minjibir.

She added that the survey was carried out to access the level of success and challenges of the programme with a view to provide a solution.

According to her the findings revealed that the workers are over laboured as a result of shortage of man power, drugs and other equipments.

"In the survey we found that the facilities can't afford the services as much as they would have loved to because patients are more than the workers or the drugs supply.

So when people go to a facility like the maternity or emergency unit or services to get free drugs it is not available because the people are many," Kolo decried.

"Apart from lack of medical and health personnel for both maternal, antenatal and child care units in all the facilities and the non-availability of doctors in most of the facilities, we also discovered that there is no furnished and up to standard accommodation for doctors and other health personnel especially in the rural areas which is why they can't stay in such areas, and this affect the services they give," she added.