Buhari Knew Of State House Clinic Decay Over A Year Ago – CMD

Contrary to public perception that the managers of State House Clinic were responsible for its poor management, there are indications that President Muhammadu Buhari is aware of the terrible state of the health facility for over a year now.

The president’s wife, Aisha Buhari, stirred the hornet’s nest recently when she publicly criticised the management of the State House Medical Centre for the poor state of the clinic meant to cater to members of the president, vice president and some senior regime officials and their families.

However, Premium Times in a report on Thursday cited a correspondence by the management to Buhari detailing the lack of basic facilities, due to poor funding of the hospital.

The Chief Medical Director, Hussain Munir, had in a letter to the Chief of Staff to the president, Abba Kyari, dated October 3, 2017 referenced the letter he wrote to the president on August 22, 2016 as well as two other ones he wrote to other officials in 2015 and 2016 including Mr. Kyari.

According to the October 3 letter, all those correspondence centred on the inadequate funding of the hospital including non-provision of funds for basic necessities such as drugs.

Mr. Munir indicated that out of N290.4 million approved for the purchase of drugs and consumables for the SHMC in 2017, only N29 million has been spent with no amount spent on capital projects.

The director also said out of the N3.8 billion approved for the clinic in 2016, only N25 million was spent on drugs that year, a lesser amount compared to the N73 million and N63 million expended on same item in 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Mrs. Buhari criticised had on October 9 at a public event, lamented the poor state of the clinic and asked that it should be probed.

In his October 3 letter, however, Mr. Munir said the X-ray machine has not been functioning for over nine months.