Lagos State lawmakers have moved to probe the abandoned N7 billion Cardiac Renal facility centre in Gbagada General Hospital.
The lawmakers initiated the move after the acting chairman of the House Committee on Health, Hakeem Sokunle, read a report at plenary on Tuesday.
Sokunle, in his report, stated that members of his committee had embarked on a tour to ascertain health facilities across the state.
According to Sokunle, “We observed that there is shortage of manpower, non-functioning ambulances, insecurity, unequipped laboratories and more importantly abandonment of multi-billion naira cardio renal facility.
“Most of the equipment in the hospital are not working, I got report that the cardio renal machines only worked for two weeks before the facility was locked up. Also, most of the sensitive equipment is obsolete.”
While contributing, Tunde Buraimoh (Kosofe 2), expressed his displeasure over the issue, saying, “It is disheartening that the investment of the state in the hospital is being abandoned. If these facilities are functioning, we would have saved many lives and reduce the constant medical tours to India.”
He pleaded that the Committee be given authority to delve more into the matter from the point of supply of equipment and how they stopped functioning.
On his part, the Majority Leader of the House, Sanai Agunbiade (Ikorodu 1), said if equipment of
such magnitude was cited in the State of Excellence, it was for a purpose and that it must not be wasted.
He therefore moved that the suppliers of the equipment be invited for questioning and that the investigation must attract public participation.
Sokunle therefore moved that the House give the committee the power to invite the Ministry of Health to appear before the Committee to give clarification on issues bothering on the N7 billion cardio-renal equipment in Gbagada General Hospital.
Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, directed the clerk of the House, Azeez Sanni, to write a letter to the Ministry of Health and invite necessary stakeholders on the issue.
However, it was reported that Lagos State Cardiac and Renal Centre, Gbagada, a multi-billion naira health facility, is presumed to be one of the signature legacies of the administration of former governor, Babatunde Fashola, neglected by his successor, Akinwunmi Ambode.
The abandonment of the facility has come with a huge cost, especially with the rising statistics of Lagosians, and indeed Nigerians, who are battling with various cardiac and renal diseases.
The concessionaire – Renescor Health LLP, pulled out of the management deal.
The facility, according to the state’s Ministry of Health, was built at a cost of N5.6 billion. But since its contract was awarded in 2008, it had been mired in controversies over allegations of overinflated quotations, poor civil work, among others.
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