Senate Tackles Buhari On Medical Tourism
Demands functional State House Clinic
BY EDMOND ODOK, ABUJA – The Senate has challenged State House officials on floating a state-of-the-art facility that will stop medical tourism by President Muhammadu Buhari and top government functionaries.
According to the Upper legislative chamber, making the State House Clinic fully functional this year should effectively save the nation from expending its scarce on foreign medical trips by officials.
The Senate Committee on Federal Character and Intergovernmental Affairs, posed the challenge during the 2021 budget estimates defence by the Permanent Secretary of the State House, Tijani Umar
Of the State House total budget proposal of N19.7 billion for the 2021 fiscal year, Umar’s presentation showed that N1.3 billion was earmarked for the Clinic.
In his comments on the proposals, Committee Chairman, Senator Danjuma La’ah, representing Kaduna South, said the State House budget would be approved, with an understanding that the President and other top government officials would no longer have need to embark on medical treatment abroad.
As if fired by the Senate challenge for a state-of-the-art medical facility at the Presidential Villa, the Permanent Secretary assured that things at the Clinic will improve going forward.
Responding to reporters’ questions on his engagement with the lawmakers, Umar said the State House administration would work harder to have in place a Clinic that meets the medical needs of Mr President and other top officials of the presidency once the budget was approved
Given its deteriorating condition over the years, there has been this unpalatable but popular joke about the State House Clinic being a medical facility in dire need of surgery.
The issue gained huge public attention back in 2017 when the First Lady and wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha openly upbraided the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the State House Medical Centre, Dr. Husain Munir, over its poor state.
The health facility established to take care of the President, Vice-President, their families as well as Staff of the Presidential Villa, Abuja
