Towards the end of Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, almost all the specialist and teaching hospitals which benefited from rehabilitation embarked by the administration were commissioned with fun-fair.

The former president had during his tenure embarked on the rehabilitation of the nation’s teaching hospitals with #23 billion equipment contract with an Australian firm, Virmed Engineering, in order to breathe a new lease of life into the 15 specialist and teaching hospitals in the country.

State-of-the-art equipment were supply by the engineering firm as part of the upgrading exercise to restore the lost glory of the hospitals. But alas, barely four years when the first set of these equipment were commissioned, complaints of malfunction pervades the atmosphere at most of the benefiting hospitals.

The complaints have been that either the equipment supplied are not needed or no trained hands to handle them. Also, the Nigerian Medical Association was not contacted before the machines were supplied, consequently turning the hospitals to dump site of bad machines.

The deluge of complaints which the installation had generated has caught the attention of the National Assembly, which had embarked on a visit to the benefiting hospitals to ascertain the condition of the equipment.

For instance, the members of the House of Representatives Committee on Health recently visited the University College Hospital UCH, Ibadan, where they were told by the officials of the institution that some of the machines installed by the engineering firm were not working properly.

Addressing the seven man team of the House of Representatives led by Alaba Lad-Ojomo, the Head of Radiology Department of the hospital, Dr. Millicent Obajimi, lamented that the mammography machine used to detect and treat breast cancer in women has not been functioning since installed in 2004.

Although, Obajimi noted that the machine was initially replaced in 2005 following complaints from the institution, the replacement also needed to be recalibrated before it became functional, while the cassette sent to the hospital to complement the working of the machine have not been compatible with the machine.

Dr. Obajimi lamented that with the nature of the equipment supplied; the hospital had not been ale to adequately treat its patients who daily throng the center for treatment.

At the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi-Araba, one of the selected hospitals that benefited from the rehabilitation, the story is not different either. An unscheduled visit earlier this month by the Minister of Health, Prof. Adenike Grange revealed a sorry state of the health institution.

For about three hours, 6:30 to 9:30pm, the minister could not help but watch mothers fanning their babies with either hand fan or newspapers due to lack of electricity supply.

The officials of the institution had complaint the breakdown of the electricity generating set which had virtually affected every other thing in the health institution. Without adequate power supply, how can the machines installed in the hospital function? For instance, how would the X-ray machine and the blood bank which needed constant electricity supply function?

LUTH have over the years suffered systemic failure. Lack of alternative power supply was one of the many reasons for systemic failure which led to the removal of its former Chief Medical Director, Prof. Onatolu Odukoya in August 2006. The problem is retuning the hospitals to mere consulting clinics. Lack of proper working condition is part of the reasons for the ongoing strike by the members of Association of Resident Doctors

As opined by the Health Committee Chairman, unless the engineers move in on time to put the machines in good working condition, these hospitals may become a dump site of bad machines. And it is hoped that when President Yar’ Adua begins the implementation of his 7-point agenda, health will be given speedy attention.