Garki building mishap: Relief as victims laud FCTA for paying medical bills

•31 discharged from hospitals

By Stanley Onyekwere

There is a sigh of relief from the Wednesday’s building collapse in Garki, a densely populated area of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as 31 victims have been discharged from different hospitals across the city, just two days after the FCT Administration took responsibility of their medical bills.
This was revealed at the weekend, when officials of the FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat (HHSS) and FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) visited the patients at various medical facilities, to ascertain the nature of care they are receiving and hospitals level of compliance to the ministerial directive for free medicare. It was realised that only 4 victims are still receiving treatment at four hospitals where they were taken to from the scene of the incident.
The two-storey building located at Lagos Street, Garki Village collapsed on Wednesday, killing two persons with 37 injured persons, who were evacuated to different hospitals for treatment.
Recall that Wike, who visited the scene on Thursday directed the Federal Capital Territory Administration to settle all the medical bills of the victims, receiving treatment in different hospitals in the FCT.
Responding to the gesture, some victims at the weekend, commended the FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike, for ensuring that their medical bills are paid by the FCT Administration.
The recuperating victims said they were well taken care of since the minister’s declaration that their medical bills would be paid by the government.
For Mr. Abdullahi Modibbo, who is one the victims still receiving treatment at Asokoro District Hospital, Abuja, said he has not paid any amount, following the minister’s declaration.
Modibbo thanked the minister for the support, which he described as “life saving”, adding that health workers were taking very good care of him.
Narrating the building mishap, he said: “I was in my room on the first floor when the building collapsed on Wednesday night. I was trying to help myself when a boulder fell on my leg, causing a fracture.
“I am happy with the prompt response of government agencies who evacuated us and took us to the hospital for treatment, and now they have offered to pay all our bills. I am truly grateful.”
Another victim, Mr. Garba Nagoma, at Cedarcrest Hospital, Apo, was elated when he learned that his hospital bills would be settled by the government on the directive of the government.
Nagoma disclosed that his brother has already paid N500,000 to the hospital as the first bill.
“This is good news knowing that my bills would be paid by the government. I am really grateful for the support,” he said.
The victims said that he visited his friend who resides on the first floor of the building when it collapsed.
“We were having a conversation when one of our friends alerted us that the building is about to collapse.
“We dashed to escape but we were late. The building collapsed with us while we were still on the first floor, and I survived with a fracture.
On his part, the Group Managing Director of Cedar Crest Hospital, Apo, Dr. Kingsley Ikpe, said that Nagoma was the only victim that was brought to the hospital and assured that the hospital would provide the needed care to the victim.
Similarly, the Chief Nursing Officer at the Asokoro District hospital, Mrs Aishatu Tenebe, said that eight victims were brought to the facility of which seven were treated and discharged.
Also speaking, another victim, Mr. Shehu Mohammed, receiving treatment for head and eye injuries at Garki Hospital, Abuja, equally lauded Wike for promptly coming to their aid.
Mohammed said he owned a tailoring shop in the building and was still working in the shop when it collapsed.
A medical officer at the Garki medical facility, Dr Winifred Esite, said that 14 victims were brought to the hospital of which 12 were treated and discharged while one died.
Not left out, one of the victims that was treated and discharged from the medical facility, Mrs. Charity Amadi, who equally thanked the FCT minister for the support, also called on other stakeholders to assist them in other areas of need, as the incident has rendered them homeless.
Amadi, a mother of two and currently pregnant, said they were currently taking shelter at Cherubim and Seraphim Area 2 Shopping Centre, Abuja, adding that they lost everything in the wreckage.
According to her: “I am glad that the government has come to our aid, because the hospital asked me to be coming for a check up to ensure that my unborn baby and I are fine.”
However, speaking at the end of the visit, the HHSS Acting Secretary, Mr. Malan Noel Haruna, said he and his team visited the hospitals on the directive of the minister.
Haruna recalled that the FCT Minister had directed the FCTA to settle the medical bills of all those affected, “so we are here in compliance with his directive.
“We have gone round some of the hospitals and we have seen their condition on the instruction of the minister to ensure that they are well taken care of.
“So far, four victims are still receiving treatment in hospitals, 31 have been treated and discharged, while two have died.
“We have directed the victims to write the bills and forwarded them through FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the health secretariat for onward submission to the Permanent Secretary.
“The quality of services we have seen is very excellent as testified by the victims themselves,” he said.
Similarly, FEMA’s Head of Search and Rescue, Mr. Oyegun Moses, explained that of the two victims that died, one died at the scene of the collapsed building, while the other died at Garki Hospital while receiving treatment.
Commenting on the case of the pregnant woman, Mrs. Amadi, Moses, confirmed that she would be visiting the hospital for observation to ensure that her unborn child was safe and healthy.
He reiterated that any medical bill incurred during the visits would be taken care of by the government.