Drug Scarcity Hits Aso Rock Clinic Despite N3.87bn Budget

Despite the N3.87bn allocated to it in the 2016 Appropriation Act, lack of drugs and other essential medical items have crippled operations at the State House Medical Centre, The PUNCH has

learnt.The centre provides medical services to the President, Vice-President and their families, aides, members of staff of the State House and other entitled public servants.It is also a training facility for
house officers and other medical personnel.Investigations by our correspondent showed that the centre located in Asokoro, a highbrow area of the Federal Capital Territory, is gradually becoming a shadow of its old self.A cross-section of the centre’s patients told The PUNCH that patients were now being asked to go and buy drugs from outside as they were no longer available in the centre.Most hit, it was further learnt, are patients with kidney problems who are currently undergoing dialysis in the facility.Although, some of them are expected to be undergoing the dialysis at least twice a week, the centre’s management has been cancelling such exercise lately, therefore putting the lives of the patients at risk.In some instances when they attend to them, the patients are made to come with some of the items the doctors will use for the exercise.