CENTRAL DARKNESS: DESPITE BILLIONS OF FOREIGN GRANTS AND ALLOCATION TO EDO STATE MINISTRY OF HEALTH, HOSPITALS REMAINS IN THICK DARKNESS AT NIGHT DUE TO LACK OF POWER

Secret Reporter

It is disheartening that the tremendous increase in mortality rate within the country is not just linked to lack of medical expertise but greatly associated with lack of proper of implementation of budgetary allocations by state governments as it concerns primary and secondary health care services.

This is evident as seen in the current state of Central Hospitals as well as Health Care Centres in Edo State under the leadership of Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki, especially the 4th Savan Central Hospital located in the heart of Benin City, Edo which is alleged to be in a state of comatose despite the huge allocations and foreign grants received by the Ministry of Health over the years.

Information made available to SecretReporters revealed that on the 1st of May 2019 at about 8:30 pm, the 4th Savan Central Hospital was allegedly in pitch darkness due to the consistent power outage and the absence of a power generating plant in the hospital.

It was gathered that due to this ugly situation, patients, as well as accident victims who need immediate medical attention when rushed to the Central Hospital were asked to go and visit other private hospitals with an obvious excuse of “No light” which has allegedly led to the death of a number of patients.

A source who spoke to our reporter on the condition of anonymity revealed that the hospital transforms into a monster at night as the whole environment becomes pitch dark at night due to the consistent lack of power from the power distribution companies and the unavailability of a standby power generating machine in 4th Savan Central Hospital which is the only medical facility in the area.

Another source alleged that the health workers most of whom are allegedly usually fast asleep on the hospital beds due to the lack of power trend, in explaining the unimaginable situation stated that the situation is beyond their capacity to change as the management and state government has not deemed it fit to install a functional power generating set in the hospital which was usually a very busy place.

However, findings by SecretReporters reveal that in 2018 and 2019, over N58, 000,000 (Fifty-Eight Million Naira) and N58,100,000 (Fifty-Eight Million One Hundred Thousand Naira) respectively were allocated to the Ministry of Health for the maintenance and building of health facilities in the state. Howbeit, these figures do not in any way reflect in medical institutions in the state as they have allegedly been embezzled or misappropriated by the “Ogas at the top” without any regard for human lives. It is pertinent to note that the State Ministry of Health received foreign grants worth over N1,000,000,000 (One Billion Naira) in 2018 and is positioned to receive yet another N900,000,000 (Nine Hundred Million Naira) for 2019 which according to speculations by critics, is likely to go down the drain with no tangible proof of its utilization in the various medical institutions in the State.