With N3.87bn budget, Drug scarcity still hit Aso Rock clinic.
Despite the N3.87bn allocated to it in
the 2016 Appropriation Act, lack of drugs and other essential medical
items have crippled operations at the State House Medical Centre, The PUNCH has learnt.
The centre provides medical services to
the President, Vice-President and their families, aides, members of
staff of the State House and other entitled public servants.
It is also a training facility for house officers and other medical personnel.
Investigations by our correspondent
showed that the centre located in Asokoro, a highbrow area of the
Federal Capital Territory, is gradually becoming a shadow of its old
self.
A cross-section of the centre’s patients told The PUNCH that patients were now being asked to go and buy drugs from outside as they were no longer available in the centre.
Most hit, it was further learnt, are patients with kidney problems who are currently undergoing dialysis in the facility.
Although, some of them are expected to
be undergoing the dialysis at least twice a week, the centre’s
management has been cancelling such exercise lately, therefore putting
the lives of the patients at risk.
In some instances when they attend to
them, the patients are made to come with some of the items the doctors
will use for the exercise.
Our correspondent learnt that the
centre’s management had resorted to sending text messages to patients on
items they should bring for their treatment.
In one of such messages sent to a patient which is in The PUNCH’s
possession, the management wrote, “Mr. XXX (names withheld), when u
(sic) are coming for dialysis on Monday, buy IVF Normal Saline to be
used for ur (sic) dialysis. The office doesn’t have it. Buy like four
pieces.”
Normal Saline IVF solution is used in
the treatment, control, prevention and improvement of conditions such as
low sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium levels as well as blood and
fluid loss.
It improves the patients’ condition by maintaining proper fluid balance and keeping the tissues hydrated.
Another patient who spoke with our
correspondent said he had a crisis recently because the centre cancelled
his routine dialysis.
He said the centre’s management cancelled the session because of non-availability of bloodline.
He showed our correspondent a message sent to him on the cancellation.
The message read, “Gudevening (sic), we can’t dialize (sic) you tomorrow because we don’t have bloodline. When it is available, I will get back to you. Pls (sic) dialyse (sic) somewhere else. Thanks.”
The patient said the first time the session was cancelled, he was referred to a private hospital in Garki where he paid N20,000.
He added that when he could not afford the cost the second time, he was directed to another hospital in Wuse.
“As a result of the stress I passed
through, by the time I returned home, I was very weak. My health
situation deteriorated midnight and my people rushed me to the hospital.
I was discharged about three days after,” he said.
Many other patients who spoke with our correspondent said the medical centre could no longer boast of “ordinary malaria drugs.”
“The clinic does not even have ordinary
paracetamol. Paracetamol was included in the list of drugs they asked me
to go and buy recently. Before now, they were giving us drugs.” another
patient said.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac
Adewole, did not pick his calls when our correspondent attempted to get
his reaction on Tuesday.
He also did not respond to a text message sent to him on the issue.
The Permanent Secretary, State House,
Alhaji Jalal Arabi, had while defending the State House’s budget before
the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-governmental
Affairs, and members of the House of Representatives Committee on
Special Duties disclosed that N3.2bn of the budget was earmarked for the
upgrade of State House Clinic to a Centre of Excellence.
Arabi had said, “The budget for the
State House Medical Centre included N3.219bn proposed for the completion
of ongoing work as well as procurement of drugs and other medical
equipment.
“The Medical Centre provides health care
treatment for the President and Vice-President, their families as well
as numerous civil servants working in the State House and across the
Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government and of course, with
due respect, including parliamentarians and members of the legislature
in addition to other notable dignitaries.
“Interestingly, Mr. Chairman, on a
lighter note, not only those that have been captured here attend (the
Medical Centre) there are poor of the poorest that attend because we
receive reference from Gwagwalada, Garki, Wuse hospitals.
“So, if they come, we attend to them and interestingly too at no fee at all, we don’t charge.
“The anticipated improvement of the
Medical Centre will propel it to serve as a Centre of Excellence and
also reduce medical tourism.
“May I also add that the State House
Medical Centre, unlike other medical centres does not charge any fees
for its services and hence does not generate any revenue for itself.
Source: Punchng
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