Pate Decries Level Of Corruption In Health Sector

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, has described the level of corruption in the sector and the country as a “very deep issue”.

The minster shared his observation at a one-day conference by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, with the theme “Corruption-free health care delivery for all” on Thursday in Abuja.

He said: “So when we look at the issue of corruption in Nigeria, which is very long-standing, it’s ubiquitous. I recently just dealt with another case where donated, ready-to-use therapeutic foods, were donated to feed acutely malnourished children, free of charge to where we have severe acute malnutrition.

“Somebody raised grants, raised resources, brought it to Abuja, deployed it to one of the state capitals, and they filtered away.

“So it ( corruption) is a very deep issue. I have to write to the IG, and I would like to thank him also, specifically for deploying a very senior officer of the police force to be part of the task force. The challenge we face is a system and a paradigm that exists, that tolerates, encourages, demands, and accommodates corruption.“

He said, “In health, which is just one sector, sometimes it’s difficult to isolate corruption in health. So in health, what we are trying to do is to improve population health outcomes for all Nigerians. To save lives, to reduce pain, physical and financial pain, to produce health, and to do it for all Nigerians.”

On his part, Chairman of ICPC, Musa Aliyu (SAN), stated the readiness of the commission to check corruption and corrupt practices in the health sector.

He said, “The conference is specifically organised to stimulate discussions that will help improve service delivery devoid of windows for corrupt tendencies in the Health Sector. This has become necessary considering the sector’s critical nature and its role in ensuring a healthy society at all levels.

“The Commission’s choice of Primary Health Care in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as the pilot for the nationwide conversation is to create a comprehensive template that can be replicated in all the six geopolitical zones of the federation.”