Stakeholders rally support for establishment of Federal Medical Centre in Bonny, Rivers State

The quest for the establishment of a Federal Medical Centre, Bonny, Rivers received a boost, Thursday, as critical stakeholders, at a one day Public hearing held at the House of Representatives, Thursday, throw their weight behind the proposed law.

Speaking at the hearing, the sponsor of the bill and member representing Degema/ Bonny Federal Constituency, Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo who lamented the Health Care neglect in Bonny Kingdom despite hosting the multi billion Dollar Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG and other oil multinationals said it was necessary to site a tertiary health institution in the area for the need of the people.

He expressed concerns that despite the surge in population occasioned by the increase industrial activities, especially the construction of the Train 7 and the attendant influx of foreigners, there was near absence of good health facilities.

“No medical centre in the Area (Bonny) can withstand an outbreak of serious epidemic or hazards caused by industrial or social related activities. The absence of a good Health Care facility is a concern to the residents, and this has led to vociferous calls and clamour for the provision of an improved health care system, hence, this Bill, which seeks to establish a Federal Medical Centre in Bonny, Rivers State in order to assuage the health needs of the people, given its peculiar location, and the related industrial activities ongoing in the Island”, he said.

Making reference to the negative effect of COVID-19 and the helplessness of Bonny people, the lawmaker appealed to the participants to correct the wrong of the past by supporting the passage of the bill.

“Bonny Island experienced greatly the negative impacts of COVID 19, occasioned by the influx of foreigners. The surge in cases of COVID 19 pandemic, couple with the case of death of strange fishes found around Bonny – Andoni waterway led to many deaths in the Island that even attracted the attention of the both Chambers of the National Assembly. These two issues stretched the primary health care centres in the area and human security was therefore at risk”, he explained.

In his presentation however, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora commended Federal lawmakers for responding to the yearning needs of their constituents.

He however said the Ministry had the challenge of paucity of funds that could be a hindrance to the establishment of a Medical Centre.

He said: “A number of the existing facilities health of institutions are groaning under the pains of inadequate funding. They are groaning. Whether federal medical centres, whether they are teaching hospitals, even at the primary health centre level in the communities. It would interest you to know that at the last audit that the Ministry of Health carried out, out of about 30, 000 primary health centres in that audit report, that we have have less than one third that are functional and even those ones are not fully functional because the functionality is not determined by the building, the physical structure.

“You need the services, you need potable water. You need renewable energy. You need a means of transportation, so that whatever cases that cannot be handled at that handled at that level would be easily moved to higher centres maybe at the secondary or tertiary levels. These are the basic challenges.”

But the delegation of Bonny Representatives which included two former Federal Lawmakers, Hon. Randolph Brown and Hon. Tonye Tamuno LongJohn however told the minister that a health centre of that status was urgently needed.

Reading the position of Bonny people at the hearing, the leader of the delegation, Chief Charles Jumbo appealed to the government to consider them especially on the virtue of what Bonny contributes to the country in terms of revenue.

He decried the absence of any Federal Medical Centre in Rivers State.

On their part, the Assistant Director, Legal, Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Ati Amali, said the Ministry is not opposed to the idea of a Medical Centre provided it fulfilled all legislative processes.