COVID-19: Reps C’ttee grills CMDs of FMCs, uncovers several infractions

By Christiana Ekpa

The Public Accounts Committee PAC of the House of Representatives currently investigating the alleged mismanagement of COVID-19 intervention funds from 2020 to 2022 on Thursday grilled Chief Medical Directors of the nation’s Federal Medical Centres and Federal Neuro- psychiatric Hospitals over several billions of Naira allocated to their Institutions.
During the exercise that lasted several hours,, the Committee being Chaired by Rep Bamidele Salam uncovered several infractions in their presentations which the Committee insisted must sorted out to justify the judicious utilization of the amounts allocated to them during the emergency period.
Consequently, the Committee discharged the CMDs with a strict directive to them to go back and reappear before it with perfect submissions to be accompanied with valid and relevant documents failure which would attract appropriate sanctions.
The Chairman of the Committee Rep Bamidele Salam however reiterated that the Committee would not entain delay tactics from the l MDAs and it has a time frame within which to conclude its assignment.
The affected Federal Health Institutions are Federal Medical Centre Asaba, Delta State N47.67bn, National Hospital Abuja N47.67bn, Federal Medical Centre Jalingo, Taraba State N47.67bn, Federal Medical Centre ,N47.67bn, Birini Kudu, Jigawa State N47. 67hn Federal Medical Centre Yenegoa, Bayelsa State N47 67bn Federal Medical Centre Ebute-Metta, Lagos State N47.67bn.
Others which also took the same allocation of N47.67bn reach are Federal Medical Centre Yola, Adamawa State, Federal Medical Centre Azare, Baluchi State, Federal Medical Centre, Kebbi State, National Orthopedic Hospital Dala Kano State, National Orthopedic Hospital Enugu State , Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Enugu State, Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Kaduna State, Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Cross River State, Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Maiduguri, Borno State.
Others that had earlier appealed before the Committee are Federal Medical Centre Lokoja, Kogi state; Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Delta state; the National Ear Care Centre, Kaduna and National Eye Centre also based in Kaduna.include.