Biometric Machines in Gombe’s Healthcare: A Flawed System in Practice -By Muhammad Umar Shehu

Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State recently praised his administration’s use of biometric machines to monitor the attendance of health workers, claiming it has led to improvements in the state’s healthcare system. While the idea of using technology for accountability sounds good on the surface, the reality on the ground tells a very different story.

In many parts of Gombe, the biometric system is not functioning the way it was intended. Instead of ensuring that health workers show up at their duty posts, the system is being manipulated. There are several cases where health workers avoid reporting to their assigned facilities altogether, yet still manage to collect their salaries without any issue.

This manipulation is made possible by the very people entrusted with operating the biometric machines. Some of these operators keep the machines in their homes, allowing absentee workers to show up late at night, thumbprint, and create the illusion of regular attendance. It’s a setup that completely defeats the purpose of using technology for transparency and efficiency.

Worse still, this abuse isn’t happening out of goodwill. Workers reportedly offer small sums of money to the machine operators in exchange for access. It’s a quiet, informal arrangement that helps them bypass the rules set by the government. Instead of solving problems, the biometric system has simply opened the door to a new kind of corruption.

To me, there are far more tangible and urgent needs in most of Gombe’s state-owned hospitals. Facilities lack basic equipment, essential drugs, enough staff, and proper maintenance. But rather than address these core issues, the governor is pointing to biometrics as a sign of progress. Haba! Which kind of a country do we live in where something so superficial is considered an achievement?

It’s disappointing that such a serious issue is being paraded as a success. The governor’s claim that healthcare delivery has improved because of this system does not match the lived reality of many residents. Health facilities are still understaffed, patients often go unattended, and the few workers who do show up are stretched thin. There’s no visible sign of the improvement being talked about.

If the government truly wants to improve healthcare in Gombe, it must go beyond announcing new technology for biometric. There are a lot of equipment needs beyond biometric. There needs to be real follow-up, independent monitoring, and penalties for those who misuse or exploit the system. Technology without enforcement is just another tool for corruption. Until then, flashy announcements will continue to mask deeper failures.

Muhammad Umar Shehu,
wrote from Gombe and can be reached via
Umarmuhammadshehu2@gmail.com