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Facilities fail at Lagos Cardiac and Renal Centre

By Wole Oyebade 
11 February 2016   |   4:01 am
Lagos Assembly launches probe of contractor, state officials Barely a year after the Cardiac and Renal Centre, Gbagada, Lagos, was commissioned for use, the multi-billion naira worth of facility is beginning to show structural defects and on the brink of collapse. While it has never treated a single heart or kidney-related ailment till date, major…

Cardiac-and-Renal-Centre,-Gbagada,-Lagos

Lagos Assembly launches probe of contractor, state officials

Barely a year after the Cardiac and Renal Centre, Gbagada, Lagos, was commissioned for use, the multi-billion naira worth of facility is beginning to show structural defects and on the brink of collapse.

While it has never treated a single heart or kidney-related ailment till date, major equipment and laboratory suite complements have refused to function to justify a kobo of their worth.

Sources at the 80-bed specialist facility, being one of the grand achievements of the last administration, told The Guardian that the equipment “didn’t just break down, they were defective right from day one; they just refuse to work.”

It would be recalled that the Cardiac and Renal Centre was an initiative of the Babatunde Fashola-led administration, to address the growing problem of heart attacks and kidney failures among other related chronic diseases that Nigerians treat in India.

Upon completion and full installation of equipment last year, the State government concessioned the facility to Renescor Healthcare limited to begin rendering of services as an annex to the congested Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). It was not to be till date.

Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Health, on a fact-finding mission to the centre Tuesday were, however, shocked to the marrows receiving reports of malfunctioning equipment on ground.

It was revealed that the Catheterization Laboratory (Cathlab) machine, which was said to have cost about $1.5 million, is not functioning. Catheterization laboratory is an examination room in a hospital or clinic with diagnostic imaging equipment used to visualize the arteries and chambers of the heart, and treat any abnormality found.

Others in its category and of no less worth like the theatre unit and two theatre units with laminar flow air control, were also pointed at as “not working”.

The list also includes: Central sterilization and supply unit; four bed recovery room echo lab; stress lab; 24 dialysis machines; pharmacy; laboratories; ophthalmology clinic for eye screening; physiotherapy/rehabilitation unit.

This development has forced the consultants, professionals and doctors employed by the centre to leave, as they have remained redundant due to non-functional equipment.

Chief Executive Officer of the centre, Prof. Babatunde Green, told the visiting committee that the one-year old building is already suffering from several defects, such as cracks in the walls, electrical defects, elevator defect, among other issues.

Green explained that the Renescor Healthcare, who is in charge of managing the centre, had been responsible for the maintenance of the building “so as to ensure that it does not collapse as a result of the cracks in some parts of the walls.”

The CEO noted that the centre was handed over to Renescor Healthcare by the Lagos State Government under a Public Private Partnership arrangement, adding that “since we came on board, we have not been able to do anything because a lot of the equipment that were installed are not functioning.”

Green further revealed that the two elevators meant for moving patients from the ground floor to the operating theatre are not working.

“Apart from the fact that the elevators are not working, they don’t have ventilation and this is dangerous to the patients because if you are taking a patient in that kind of lift, the patient could suffocate before you get to the theatre.

“Even in the operating rooms, there are no cooling systems. The machine in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, which cost about 1.5 million dollars, has never worked from day one that it was installed.

“We have tried everything humanly possible to ensure that things are put in order here; we have written several letters to the Ministry of Health and there have been no response or whatsoever. We have brought engineers to fix the minor problems, such as the electrical defects, but they are requesting for the drawing so as to make the work easier for them but the contractor has not cooperated in this regard at all. “

Continuing, he said: “This place should by now be making good revenue for the state because it is the only one in Nigeria and people with heart and renal related ailments are supposed to be coming here for treatment. We have employed staff whom we are paying on monthly basis but nothing is happening here,” Green said in frustration.

Chairman of the committee, Segun Olulade, said that the Committee would do everything in its capacity to investigate the matter and bring it logical conclusion.

Olulade said with the amount of money spent on the centre, “we can’t fold our arms and not look into why the equipment here are not working.”

“I was on a television station few days ago and I was bragging about this place; telling the presenters that it is the only one in Nigeria and that it is the best in Africa, but I never knew that nothing is happening here.

“We are talking about lives here and we can’t joke with lives of Lagosians. Taxpayer’s money was used in building that place and the money cannot be allowed to go down the drain just like that.

“But I can assure you that we will summon every stakeholder that is linked to this project, especially, Deux Project Limited to come and tell us why the major equipment in this place are not working. We must get to the root of this matter,” Olulade said.

Apparently not unaware of the development, State commissioner for health, Dr. Jide Idris, had in an interview with The Guardian said that a committee had been set up to hear from both sides (the contractor and Renescor) to address the issues.

Idris said that the facility is a huge investment and the State has a lot to gain from making it work.

“There are power, sewage and water supply issues. All parties, including the Ministry of Justice officials will be called to review the agreement we had.

“Not having it running till date is a major issue and a rather sad one for me. Yes, it was built and concessioned to a group but the handshake between the contractor and the group became the problem. I think some of the equipment were not functioning to optimum and it took quite a while.

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