Buhari Orders Reversion of State House Medical Centre to Clinic

Buhari Orders Reversion of State House Medical Centre to Clinic

 By Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the reversion of State House Medical Centre (SHMC) to a clinic to enable it serve the original purpose of its establishment.

A statement by the Deputy Director, Information, Mr. Atta Esa, said State House Permanent Secretary, Jalal Arabi, made this disclosure while appearing before the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs for the defence of the 2019 budget of the State House.

According to the statement, Arabi said the facility “was initially meant to serve the first and second families and those working within and around the Villa.”

Esa quoted him as saying, ‘‘Without prejudice to what is currently obtainable at SHMC, the intention to revert to a clinic is a Presidential directive. This is to make sure that the facility is functional and serves the purpose for which it was established, ab initio.’’

The statement also said, Arabi explained to journalists after the budget defence that the reversion of the Medical Centre to a clinic was a case of ‘‘cutting one’s coat according to your cloth.’’

Arabi added: “It was initially meant to serve the first and second families and those working within and around the Villa. The overstretching of facilities at the Medical Centre by patients is some of the challenges the Centre have been going through. It wasn’t meant for that purpose.

‘‘Nobody was charging anyone for any services and relying on appropriation means we will depend on subvention when it comes to run the Centre.

‘‘Whatever comes is what you utilise and if the last patient comes in to take the last drugs based on the last budgetary release, that is it and we have to wait till another release is done. But this new development means that services will be streamlined to a clinic that will serve those that it was meant to serve when it was conceived,’’ the Permanent Secretary said.

According to the statement, the centre was a focal point during the two-hour presentation and budget defence by the permanent secretary before the Senate committee adding that Arabi disclosed that the centre had a total budget of N1.03 billion in the 2018 Appropriation Act, with N698 million as capital expenditure and N331.7 million as overhead cost.

The statement added: “The total overhead expenditure released for the Centre from January-December 2018 is N331.7 million, representing 99.9 per cent while the capital releases on projects is N231.9 million, representing 33.2 per cent.

“In his remarks, the Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Danjuma La’ah (PDP-Kaduna South) welcomed the proposal to make the SHMC fully functional and ensure that members of the first and second families use the facilities at the clinic.

“Senator La’ah assured that the committee will support full funding for the Clinic and commended the 2018 budget performance in State House, compared to previous years, despite revenue challenges.”

 The deputy director disclosed that the State House 2019 budget proposal of N14.3 billion was slightly lower than the 2018 appropriation of 15.47 billion by 7.1 per cent.

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