The Nigerian government is proposing to spend more on capital projects at the State House Medical Centre this year than it would provide for the 16 teaching hospitals belonging to it.
If the proposed budget is approved as presented to federal lawmakers, the State House Clinic will get N787million more in capital allocation than all the 16 teaching hospitals combined.
The State House Medical Centre is a facility that provides healthcare for President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, their families and other employees of the Presidency, all possibly less than a thousand.
Federal teaching hospitals cater for the heath needs of millions of Nigerians, train medical doctors and other health professionals for the nation while also serving as top medical research centres.
A breakdown of the 2016 Appropriation Bill shows that a total of N3.87billion has been allocated for capital projects at the State House Clinic.
In contrast, the country’s 16 federal government-owned teaching hospitals individually only got a fraction of the allocation made for the presidential clinic.
According to the proposed budget, N212,539,245 has been allocated for capital projects at the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital in Lagos, one of the country’s most populous states, while the capital allocation for the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Kaduna, is N230,904,795.

Similarly, the capital allocation for the University College Hospital, Ibadan, is N230,904,795; University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu (N218,335,908); University of Benin Teaching Hospital (N212,886,502); Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital, Ile Ife (N162,622,221); University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (N166,802,164); University of Jos Teaching Hospital (N228,717,880); and University of Port Harcourt (N169,498,392).
The capital allocation for other hospitals are: University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (N201,082,446); University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (N215,151,873); Usman Dan Fodio University Teaching hospital, Sokoto (N279,000,000); Aminu Kano University Teaching Hospital (N210,380,376); Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi (N166,188,931); University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (N198,715,702); and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (N229,005,992).
Health industry experts consider the annual huge capital allocation to the State House Medical Centre as “outrageous and baffling”.
“It is unbelievable to see that Buhari is continuing in the tradition of pampering the State House Clinic every year with outrageous capital allocations while teaching hospitals that cater for several millions of people are allowed to rot,” an official at the National Hospital, Abuja, told PREMIUM TIMES. He requested not to be named for fear he might be victimised by the administration.
In the 2015 budget, which gave N150million capital vote to the hospital, the equipment to be procured and the projects for execution were clearly spelt out. So also were the amounts to be spent on each equipment and project.
But this year, the presidency failed to indicate how it plans to spend the about N4billion it proposes to spend on capital projects at the hospital. It is a one-line item in the budget, and there is no breakdown of what equipment would be procured and what project would be executed.
By virtue of the huge allocation to the State House Medical Centre President Buhari, Vice President Osinbajo, their families and their staff at Aso Rock are assured of state-of-the-art medical care.
However, millions of Nigerians, many of them poor voters, who bought into the president’s message of change, are to continue to make do with decrepit facilities in under-funded teaching hospitals and other government-owned health facilities across the country.
Checks by PREMIUM TIMES indicates that this year’s huge budgetary allocation for the State House Medical Centre is a continuation of what appears a tradition of over-equipping the clinic at the detriment of other health facilities in the country.
A 2009 report by the rested NEXT newspaper revealed that the State House clinic had 17 ambulances, the highest by any hospital in the country at the time.
According to the report, in 2008, 10 new state-of-the-art ambulances were brought from North Carolina in the United States, parked inside the presidential villa and left unused.
At the time the ambulances were left to rot away in Aso Rock, the National Hospital, Abuja, believed to be one of the topmost hospitals in the country, had only nine ambulances while the General Hospital in Nyanya, a decaying facility on the outskirts of Abuja, that served more than 300,000 people, had just a jalopy 504 Station Wagon (CT 89-A10) as its only ambulance.
Last November, a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) revealed that there were only two functional radiotherapy machines, an essential equipment for the treatment of cancer, in the country, one of which belonged to a private hospital.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), over 100,000 Nigerians are diagnosed with cancer annually, and about 80,000 die from the disease yearly.

The decrepit state of health facilities in the country, apart from the consequent losses of lives, has also caused huge economic loss to the country. Nigerians who can afford it spend billions of naira annually in the United States, Europe, India and other places in search of better healthcare.
Adewunmi Alayaki, Secretary General of the Nigerian Medical Association, said government should consider redistributing the allocation so that health facilities used by ordinary Nigerians can get better financial allocation.
“The lopsidedness in the distribution of allocations is keyed towards the State House health needs and the rest of the country are now sharing less funds than what is allocated to one health facility,” Mr. Alayaki told PREMIUM TIMES via telephone.
“I think government should look into that and correct it. Ordinary Nigerians do not have access to that facility (State House Medical Centre) so they should redistribute and invest more in areas where ordinary Nigerians have access to.”
The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, could not be reached to comment for this story. He is said to be on his way to France with President Buhari.
The Minister of State in the ministry, Zainab Ahmed, could also not be reached. Multiple calls to her telephone failed to connect.


http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/197828-2016-budget-buhari-to-spend-more-on-state-house-clinic-than-on-all-federal-teaching-hospitals-2.html

wonderful budget.

Keep calm buhari is fighting kworuption!

Lalasticlala

Have you read the budget? All teaching hospitals in Nigeria combined has less budget than one clinic in Aso Rock Villa. And they will never use the hospital ooo. ...just so you know why waiters are increasing

This President needs help o, I'm not joking. OK, there will soon be a total shut down of all health facilities in Nigeria. Sycophants won't allow the truth get into his brain.

Buhari thinks he can run dis country d way he want

Na wa ooo.

Buhari has not learned anything since his last sojourn as head of state.

F

To equip our own hospital to cater for VIPs is much better than them going overseas to seek medical attention.... I support pmb on this

Presidential response:

FG Spending on State House Clinic

We react to the story: "2016 Budget: Buhari to spend more on State House Clinic than on all federal govt-owned teaching hospitals."
This report is not simply off the mark but one that is insensitive to the government's effort to improve medical facilities at home in Nigeria.
According to the draft 2016 budget presented to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari, the budget for the State House Clinic is N3.8b.

Contrary to the published newspaper report, the total for health institutions as given by the Director-General, Budget Office is more than N200 billion. The 17 teaching hospitals have more than 50 percent of that allocation.

Anyone interested can check out the detailed allocations to the teaching hospitals, the federal medical centers and the specialist hospitals owned by the federal government.

It is also important to explain that the State House Clinic is not the President, or anyone's personal clinic but one which looks after government officials and many others who are not.

The increased spending on government health institutions in the current budget should be seen in the light of the administration's plan to improve medical facilities at home as a way of discouraging overseas trips in search of treatment by citizens which eat away from our foreign exchange.

Garba Shehu
SSAP (Media and Publicity)

https://www.facebook.com/GarShehu/?fref=ts

Ok

Chanji

INTROVERT:
wonderful budget.

She needs a paid job

.

The political jobbers on both sides of the divide need to quit with trying to spin their party errors to fit what people want, rather, they should admit when their party members err and let them know.

APC sycophants are thinking of throwing the usual tantrum of pulling out a fault from the last administration to derail the crux of the matter or they are thinking of how to justify this BS to fit.

The heads of APC sycophants right now be like:

Many yam eaters surrounding Buhari. Too bad for war against corruption.

I hope after chasing external yam eaters to extinction, Buhari will do same to those surrounding him?
The way yam eaters have padded the 2016 national budget is appalling!

Where is the CHANGE


www.nairaland.com/attachments/2186225_change_jpeg_jpeg94b34b227702fbe5c47290c95691a634



www.nairaland.com/attachments/2638335_117378378808222686209331845457370151459142n_jpg21fab79f34191754f3edd356d25b008d



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It is well...

God would judge all of you

Global downturn in economy.
Nationwide business upturn for Undertakers.

The President needs ours prayers now more than ever. Political jobbers at work. "Gten" a concerned youth.

Which way Nigeria

What the ffffffff!!!!! This is not the change we voted for!!!

[size=15pt]LadyF[/size] said so!!!

BRING IT ON JARE. I can spend that money in a Day.its too small compare to what i spend in a day on nairaland. Buhari ti take over finally .

jamace:
Many yam eaters surrounding Buhari. Too bad for war against corruption.

I hope after chasing external yam eaters to extinction, Buhari will do same to those surrounding him?
The way yam eaters have padded the 2016 national budget is appalling!

Bro...
I think it's about time we faced the truth and called it what it is - Yam eaters are not necessarily "surrounding" the oh so honest but helpless Buhari.
No sir
BUHARI IS AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN CORRUPT! From his 1983 days to the present day!

Shouting "I am against corruption" won't wipe away your own corruption as a leader!
And citing this man's fake "Corruption battle" of 1984 won't save his skin either!

Let us remember that, in 1984, the Nigerian media was HEAVILY GAGGED!
Let us also remember that we had no internet to read about his corrupt dealings!
Let us ALSO remember that, during the military era, annual budgets were not posted for public analysis, so their bloated and inflated contracts were well hidden from the public eye!

I can tell you for a fact that there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TANGIBLE TO PROVE HE WAS EVER REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT FIGHTING CORRUPTION IN 1984!

This is the first time we're ever experiencing a Buhari budget, and we're seeing him for the criminal he is!

So, let's stop hanging on to that false image of Buhari as some angel who hates corruption but is just surrounded by criminals. No sir - THE MAN IS CORRUPT!

At this point it becomes pertinent to ask what the change mantra was about.


The thunder that will fire any person trying to defraud us of our common wealth through this budget is still eating fufu and egusi.

Budget of fraud.

baba11:
To equip our own hospital to cater for VIPs is much better than them going overseas to seek medical attention.... I support pmb on this

www.nairaland.com/attachments/3073565_ctuafvju8aakuv5_jpeg49a942de8e3d1d388856e63d96b767a5

For goodness sake those buhari tink he is God.d greatest mistake nigerians made was voting for tis bigot.