In a bid to provide accessible and affordable health for all, especially at the grassroots, members of the World Health Organisation (WHO) including Nigeria adopted the Alma Ata Declaration instituting the primary health centres as the basic structural and functional unit of public health delivery system in 1978.
In 2018, the Osun Government claimed that the state was due to receive $20.5 million from the World Bank as support funds to help fix dilapidated health facilities.
According to the government, the funds fall under “Saving One Million Lives (SOML)” programme for result (PforR) initiative with the objective to increase the utilization and quality of high impact reproduction, child health, and nutrition interventions in Nigeria.
By 2019, ex-governor Gboyega Oyetola confirmed that Osun had gotten the money and he promised to use it for the revitalisation of nine general hospitals and 332 Primary Health Centres – one per ward – across the state.
A year later, particularly July 2020, ex-commissioner for health Rafiu Isamotu, confirmed the completion of the projects, explaining that the grants had been judiciously used.
BattaFiles investigations however proved otherwise as many PHCs visited in the state remain in shambles despite the multi-million dollar grant.
This newspaper also observed that the PHCs rehabilitation contracts were awarded to companies owned by loyalists of ex-governor and his cabinet members, in a clear contravention of Public Procurement Act (PPA) 2007.
The basic underlying principles of the PPA for contracts include the following: open competitive bidding, equal and equitable treatment of interested bidders, transparency, and professionalism in the public sector procurement system. These principles are indeed relevant to the interpretation of the legislation.
But Oyetola’s administration awarded the rehabilitation of the health facilities to allies of the government.
The poor facilities
For instance, many residents of Inisha community in Odo-Otin Local Government Area (LGA) said they have a building with fashionable rooftops and paint but an awful interior.
When our reporter visited the PHCs, we met many officials complaining about the shady job done during the renovation of the health centre in 2020.
“We do not have electricity because we’ve long been cut off from the grid. We use kerosene lamp during late night child labour,” an official who spoke under anonymity for fear of being sacked said.
BattaFiles learnt that some of their colleagues had in the past lost their jobs after granting interviews about the poor state of health facilities in Osun.
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Also, the borehole dug for water supply is dysfunctional and all the taps fixed at the maternity are worn out. This newspaper also observed that the facility is short of beds to cater for patients let alone a family planning and laboratory unit.
“I almost lost my wife at the PHC during childbirth due to lack of electricity. Her case was critical at midnight and needed to be operated. We needed to take her to a general hospital but there was no ambulance for emergency services,” Muyiwa Adeola, an angry resident of the community said.
BattaFiles would later discover that the rehabilitation of the PHC was awarded to Brainbox Integrated Services Limited, a company by Sola Oladepo, ex-commissioner for environment and sanitation with no record at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and zero history of construction work.
The same shady job was done at the renovated PHC in Okini, Egbedore area of the state where relatives of patients have to provide their own transport in the event of an emergency.
“We don’t have a baby weight scale, chairs, tables or beds. We also want the government to provide us with things like anti-bleeding drugs, circumcision kits, etcetera,” a nurse pleaded.
Our reporter understands that a borehole was done but contractors didn’t connect pipes to make it run and be useful for PHC toilets and other points where water is needed.
Like the previous, the project was awarded to Klef Nigeria Enterprises, a company that does not have an email address, phone number, physical address, website and other contact information to track it.
At Oke-Ayan PHC in Odo-Otin, buckets arranged under the roof edges to collect rainwater, apparently a sign of insufficient water supply, short of drugs and many more. In fact, officials use a kerosene lantern in the labour room at night as standby for blackouts.
The project was awarded to NewBold Business Services Limited, a company that has no clear objective as to the kind of service it provides, whether construction, information technology-related, or general supplier.
The situation was not different when our reporter got to the PHC at Atiba in Olorunda LGA but health officials said they aren’t permitted to speak with the press.
Actions, inactions
BattaFiles reached out to ex-commissioner of health, Isamotu but he responded that “none of our renovated facilities should be in a state of disrepair.”
Meanwhile, the Connected Development (CODE), a non-profit organisation devoted to ensuring transparency and accountability in government spending in Africa, in 2021, raised alarm over the state of the PHCs in Osun.
Anthony Adejuwon, state leader of CODE said the organisation assessment shows that the government failed to utilise the $20.5 million properly.
“We identified that these PHCs are short-staffed and most of them do not even have electricity. Authorities need to be more open to its citizens.”
