SERAP wants health Minister to explain money spent on Teaching hospitals, others

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, (SERAP) has asked the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, to explain spending of funds allocated to Lagos University Teaching Hospital, (LUTH) Idi Araba and other 20 federal teaching hospitals and 20 federal medical centres across the country.
A Freedom of Information request urged him to “urgently provide information about details of actual spending of allocations to LUTH and other 20 federal teaching hospitals and 20 federal medical centres across the country, for the period covering 2010 to 2017.”
The organisation said, “The information should include details of spending on specific projects and facilities at LUTH and other teaching hospitals and medical centres under the direct control of the Ministry of Health. We would be grateful if the information is provided to us within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter, failing which SERAP shall take appropriate legal action to compel you to comply with our request.”
In the letter dated 14 September 2018 and signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Timothy Adewale, the organisation said: “Despite huge budgetary allocations, many of the teaching hospitals and medical centres under the direct control of your Ministry have been left to fall apart and health care facilities in many of these hospitals lack even the most basic of amenities. Ordinary Nigerians have derived appallingly little benefit from all of the allocations, in terms of access to basic healthcare, showing a failure to respect and ensure the right to health and human dignity in the country.”
According to the organisation, “We need a ‘paradigm shift’ and little short of a ‘healthcare revolution’ in the country to end decades of mismanagement, corruption and neglect in the health sector and to improve access of millions of Nigerians to adequate healthcare and treatment. The status quo is simply unacceptable. Ensuring transparency in the spending of allocations to LUTH and other teaching hospitals and medical centres would contribute hugely.
The organisation stated that disclosure of the information requested will give “SERAP and the general public a true picture on how the allocations to LUTH and other teaching hospitals and medical centres have been spent to improve medical facilities and infrastructure in these hospitals and medical centres and to facilitate enjoyment of the right to basic healthcare by all Nigerians, especially the socially and economically vulnerable sectors of the population.
“SERAP notes approved capital allocations since 2010 to your Ministry as follows: N49.99 billion for 2010; N33.53 billion for 2011; N57.01 billion for 2012; N60.08 billion for 2013; N49.52 billion for 2014; N22.68 billion for 2015; N22.65 billion for 2016; and N55.61 billion for 2017.”
“By virtue of Section 1 (1) of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2011, SERAP is entitled as of right to request for or gain access to information, including information on details of spending of allocations to LUTH and other teaching hospitals and medical centres in the country under the direct control of your Ministry, and the said information is in the custody or possession of any public official, agency or institution.”
“By virtue of Section 4 (a) of the FOI Act when a person makes a request for information from a public official, institution or agency, the public official, institution or urgency to whom the application is directed is under a binding legal obligation to provide the applicant with the information requested for, except as otherwise provided by the Act, within 7 days after the application is received.”
“By Sections 2(3)(d)(V) & (4) of the FOI Act, there is a binding legal duty to ensure that documents containing information relating to spending of allocations to LUTH and other teaching hospitals and medical centres under the direct control of your Ministry is widely disseminated and made readily available to members of the public through various means.”