Osinbajo’s Claim not True: State House Clinic not for all Nigerians

Osinbajo’s Claim not True: State House Clinic not for all Nigerians

Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, is well regarded across the country as a stickler for truth and integrity. But it be can authoritatively reported that the nation’s number two citizen did not tell the truth regarding who can receive healthcare at the State House Medical Centre in Abuja.

The vice president was responding to questions at the Pastors and Leaders Retreat of the Fountain of Life Church, Ilupeju, Lagos.

He said the medical centre was a well-equipped general hospital always open for use by the public.

However, when an online medium visited the hospital on May 4 and 7, the Vice President’s claims were found to be untrue.

The question Mr. Osinbajo answered at the event was triggered by a PREMIUM TIMES report of February 2 indicating that the presidency planned to spend more on the State House Clinic than on all the federal teaching hospitals in the country.

Based on the budget proposal in the public domain at the time, the clinic was billed to gulp N787million more in capital allocation than all the 16 federal teaching hospitals combined.

The State House Medical Centre provides services for President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr. Osinbajo, their families and employees of the Presidency.

The 72-bed clinic thus offers services to less than 1, 000 Nigerian elite. But the 350-bed Abuja National Hospital, which caters for millions, got far less in capital allocation.

The same situation applied at the federal teaching hospitals across the country which bed spaces triple that of the state house clinic and cater for millions, train medical doctors and allied health professionals while also serving as medical research centres.

The February 2 report triggered outrage across the country with citizens and activists calling on government to review the funds allocated to the state house clinic downward while pumping more money into health facilities open to millions of Nigeria.

To deflate the mounting criticism of government at the time, Mr. Osinbajo claimed the hospital was open to all Nigerians and that it should not be considered an exclusive preserve of presidency officials.

He said he even preferred that the facility be further equipped to provide higher medical services to those in need.

But our reporter, who sought to access treatment at the facility on two occasions, gathered evidence which countered Mr. Osinbajo’s claim.

The qualification assessment and blockades

The qualification assessment for treatment at the State House Clinic begins over one kilometre away from the facility.

The assessment is not done by health workers but by army officers who mounted blockades.

An army officer stopped our correspondent at the security post on the road leading to the hospital at 11.55 a.m. on Wednesday, May 4.

The security check was not limited to PREMIUM TIMES correspondent but to all those going into the exclusive zone.

“Hello, madam, where are you going?” the young soldier asked.

Upon being informed that she was headed to the State House Clinic, he continued, “Do you work there?”

The reporter responded that she was ill and needed to see a doctor.

Mr. Osinbajo’s claims immediately started falling apart.

“Are you entitled to treatment there,” the soldier asked.

Our correspondent sought to know what he meant just as the officer continued, “Do you have a card?”

The officer, who had no name tag, waved the reporter on when she explained that she was referred by another doctor to see a specialist at the facility.

At the gate to the clinic, another soldier in civilian attire waved the reporter down, asking the same questions his colleagues asked.

When our correspondent repeated her earlier responses, the officer raised his hand and the automatic barricade went up welcoming PREMIUM TIMES into the health facility.