The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has rated the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, the University College Hospital, Ibadan and 24 other government’s departments and agencies in the health sector low in its ethics and compliance scorecard.
According to the Punch Newspaper, it said the reports about the MDAs justified the complaints raised by Nigerians about poor service delivery in the health sector.
The ICPC made its position known in its ethics and integrity compliance scorecard of MDAs for 2021.
The report, which was signed by the commission’s chairman, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, SAN, explained that the ethics and integrity compliance scorecard which assesses adherence of MDAs serves as a preventive tool in the fight against corruption.
The report read, “20 MDAs, and specifically the Federal Medical Centres, are operating without legal instruments establishing the organisations. Federal Medical Centres are presently administered by the Federal Ministry of Health with University Teaching Hospitals Act pending the passage of their establishment Act now before the National Assembly.
“26 MDAs in the health sector were non-compliant on the ethics and compliance scorecard. This to an extent confirms the widespread complaints of unsatisfactory service delivery within the health sector and its impact on healthcare services.
“There is a need to pay optimal attention to health care delivery as the sector has direct implications on the wellbeing of the populace.
“There is great need to pay prime attention to the ethics and integrity management frameworks of the MDAs as they impact on the ability of the organizations to deliver optimally on their objectives. A failure to pay attention to integrity systems leads to integrity deficiencies which impact on the public reputation of the organizations.”
The commission listed the affected MDAs to include, the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe; Federal Medical Centre, Azare; Federal Medical Centre Jalingo; Federal Medical Centre, Birnin-Kudu, Jigawa; Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Calabar; Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency; University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital; University College Hospital, Ibadan ; Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Abeokuta; and the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dala.
Others are the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control; Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital; Federal Medical Centre Lokoja; Irrua Specialist Hospital, Uromi; National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria; National Eye Centre, Kaduna; Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa; Federal Medical Centre, Asaba; Federal Medical Centre, Owerri; Federal Medical Centre, Owo; Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Uselu; Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Enugu; University of Benin Teaching Hospital; Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Kware; Federal Medical Centre, Katsina and the University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital.
The commission, in its ratings, further rated the NCDC 21.1 per cent in finance management, management culture and structure and administrative system.
The FMC Lokoja was rated 17 per cent; AKTH 21 per cent; National Eye Centre 24.8%; FMC Yenagoa 27%; FMC Asaba 28.7%; FMC Owerri 29.9%; Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital , Uselu 30.1%;FMC Owo 31.1%; University of Benin Teaching Hospital 31.4%; Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Enugu 31.4%; Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Kware 31.5% and FMC Katsina 32.7%.