N7bn hospital contract: Ambode in another storm

Immediate past governor of Lagos state, Akinwumi Ambode is in the eyes of another storm as the Lagos State House of Assembly may soon invite immediate him to explain why a N7 billion equipment at cardio renal centre in Gbagada General Hospital were abandoned by his administration.

It was gathered that the mega health facility was one of the huge projects that was executed by former governor Babatunde Fashola but abandoned by Ambode while in government.

Worried by the state of the facility, members of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday agreed to probe why equipment at the N7 billion cardio renal centre in Gbagada General Hospital were abandoned.

This followed a report read by the Acting Chairman of the House Committee on Health, Akeem Sokunle, who said members of his committee had embarked on a tour to ascertain health facilities across the state.

“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,” he said.

According to him, most of the equipment in the hospital were 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 are obsolete,” Sokunle said.

On his part, House Majority Leader, Sanai Agunbiade (Ikorodu 1), said if equipment of such magnitude are cited in the state, it was for a purpose.

He, therefore, moved that the suppliers of the equipment be invited for questioning and that the investigation must attract public participation.

The lawmakers resolved that the House should 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 facility in Gbagada General Hospital.

The Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, directed the Clerk of the House, Mr. 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.

But unlike others, the abandonment of this facility has come with a huge cost, especially with the rising statistics of Lagosians and Nigerians, who are battling with various cardiac and renal diseases.