While we are still waiting to see the result of the tensions created in the Presidency by Zahra Buhari’s outburst on the state of Aso Rock clinic, it is important to state a quick fact here that Aso Villa Clinic will not work no matter the amount of money budgeted for it.

While President Muhammadu Buhari was away on his medical sojourn to the United Kingdom, the BBC named him as an African President who has “apparent lack of faith in the health systems at home”.

The President since coming to power has patronised various hospitals in the UK for undisclosed ailments and he recently made a detour to the same UK while returning back from the Annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The President has not shown commitment to revamping the rotten health sector in the country, it has never been on record in any of his few available speeches where he agitated for a better health care system for Nigerians. Even his manifesto was silent on what he will do to develop the country’s healthcare sector.

He need not talk about it so far he can always see his doctors in the UK while the rot continues at home. His apparent lack of faith in the country’s healthcare system is a direct result of what is currently experienced at the state house medical centre.

The hospital which is currently at ground zero despite all the funds budgeted for it, has been more of a drain pipe for taxpayers money or how do we describe a hospital that received a fiscal allocation of N3 Billion in the year 2016 and N331 Million in 2017 but can’t boast of Paracetamol and cotton wool?

There is a possibility that the President has not used the hospital to treat general ailments like a headache or a common cold, because if the President, the vice president and their aides are regular visitors to the clinic it won’t be in such a sorry state.

Their non-usage has made it easy for funds budgeted for the hospital to enter the drain pipe.

As a result, the state house clinic will never work until our leaders stop running to south Africa to treat malaria and typhoid. Some even travel as far as the United Kingdom to get new eyeglasses as they have zero belief in the country’s health sector.

What we need to make the Aso Villa Clinic and other health facilities in the country work is not only funding but attitude. The moment our leaders embrace the culture of using Public health facilities, development will surely come in the sector. Till then, the Aso Villa Clinic and other health facilities in the country will not work.

Editor