Drug scarcity hits Aso Rock clinics despite N3.87bn budget.
Investigations has shown that despite the N3.87bn allocated to the Aso Rock clinic in the 2016 Appropriation Act, lack of drugs and other essential medical items have crippled operations at the State House Medical Centre- a centre which 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.
An investigation by our correspondent has shown 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 has revealed that patients were now being asked to go and buy drugs from outside as they were no longer available in the centre especially patients with kidney problems who are currently undergoing dialysis in the facility. 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, adding that 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
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