This might give you some headache: the
clinic at Nigeria’s seat of power does not have the commonest of
medications, paracetamol, TheCable has learnt.
And cotton wool?
The patient has to buy from outside. Syringes? Not available. X-ray?
Sorry, the machine is out of order. Ambulance? Well, if the patient can
buy the fuel.
This is the sorry story of the State House Medical
Centre, better known as “Aso Villa Clinic” — for which over N3 billion
was budgeted in 2016 and N331 million in 2017.
The facility was
established to cater to the medical needs of the president, the vice
president, their families and presidential aides. It is supposed to be
the first port of call in the case of a health emergency.
According
to information on the state house website, the medical centre is also a
training facility for house officers and other medical personnel.
The centre functions through specialised departments: peadiatrics, lab medicine, medicine, and obstetric and gyneacology.
President Muhammadu Buhari is currently in the UK where he is receiving medical treatment for an undisclosed ailment.
The BBC listed him as one of the African presidents who have “apparent lack of faith in the health systems at home”.
Despite the inadequacies, TheCable understands that patients still get good consultations at Aso Villa Clinic.
RENOVATION WITHOUT MEDICATION
“Patients
buy syringes and common drugs like paracetamol are lacking. They are
also required to fuel an ambulance in the case of an emergency,” an
outpatient said.
“Patients admitted in the clinic buy all
prescribed drugs from outside the facility. And in all the wards whether
dental or surgical they are required to get the material for their
treatment, even cotton wool.”
The management is currently
renovating some buildings and constructing a new block at the facility,
but patients have to go to other hospitals if they want to have an X-ray
done.
When called for comment, Femi Adesina, presidential
spokesman, referred TheCable to Laolu Akande, media aide to the acting
president, but calls to his mobile line did not go through.
Calls and text messages to the mobile line of Jalal Arabi, the state house permanent secretary, were also not replied.
‘CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE’
Defending
the N3.219 billion earmarked for the medical centre in the 2016 budget,
Arabi had told a senate committee that the proposals included 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,” he said.
“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.”
Centre of excellence? To the patients, that may be a sickening description.
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