The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello said contrary to rumours making the rounds, there are no plans to shut down the Garki District Hospital.
The minister explained that the 15-year concession agreement signed between the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the Nisa Medical Group on the management of the hospital expires on the 31st of March, 2022 and the hospital had since reverted to the FCTA to enable the Administration provide for more public hospital bed spaces.
Malam Bello according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Anthony Ogunleye, Thursday, gave the assurance when he received the executive members of the FCT branch of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) led by its chairman, Dr Enema Job Amodu, on a courtesy visit to the FCTA.
He disclosed that the concession agreement had an expiration date as assented to, by both parties.
According to the statement, the minister said, “The FCT Administration is not terminating the Garki District Hospital Concession. Even our distinguished Chairman here said to terminate, but it’s not so. The situation is that an agreement was entered 15 years ago and mutually accepted by the FCT Administration and the Nisa Medical Group. It was an agreement that has a commencement date and an expiration date.
The statement in part: “So, by virtue of the agreement, it is supposed to expire on Thursday, 31st March 2022, a natural termination. So, it’s not the FCT terminating the agreement. That’s what we need to understand.”
The minister, who noted that if shut down, so many people will lose their jobs, said “I just find it difficult to comprehend, quite frankly. How can a government just shut a hospital?”
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Dr Amodu expressed concern over FCTA’s decision to terminate the concession agreement of the Garki District Hospital with NISA Medical Group.