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ICPC Poised To Tackle Corruption In Health Sector -Chairman
The Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, says the commission is poised to address corruption and corrupt practices in the health sector.
Aliyu said this yesterday in Abuja, at a conference with the theme: “corruption-free health care delivery for all”.
The chairman said that the commission was putting in place measures to ensure corruption-free primary healthcare delivery in the country.
He said that the commission had put in place the conference, which was part of the efforts being made to enlist and foster public support in combating corruption in the nation.
According to him, 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.
“Participants were carefully drawn from community healthcare stakeholders to have a holistic and collaborative approach to improving the effectiveness of primary healthcare service delivery,” he said.
He said that the conference targeted entrenching professionalism, ethics, integrity, and other anti-corruption values to engineering a more effective and corruption-free primary healthcare delivery, leveraging the commission’s preventive mandates and strategies.
“Additionally, the conference targets anti-corruption awareness on how to ensure transparency and accountability in the healthcare delivery system, including diminishing tendencies for corrupt practices on both the side of healthcare providers and persons using healthcare facilities,” he said
Rep. Kayode Akiolu, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Anti-Corruption, in his goodwill message pledged the National Assembly’s support to fight corruption in the country.
Akiolu said that the House of Representatives would use the legislative instruments at its disposal to aid the fight against corruption, especially in the health sector.
“The Nigerian health sector is in the middle of a crisis.
“From doctors and other medical professionals leaving the country in droves, to insufficiency of medical equipment, poor working conditions and endemic corruption, the challenges are legion.
“There is thus the need to tackle these issues, and one of the most critical is corruption in the primary healthcare subsector.
“I feel confident that if corruption is reined in that subsector, the impact will be felt in the health sector as a whole in terms of improved working conditions for medical professionals, better service delivery and improvement in the health of citizens.
“These, in turn, will slow down the ‘Japa’ syndrome and medical tourism which will greatly benefit the nation’s economy.”
Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, the Mandate Secretary, Health Services And Environment, FCTA, in a keynote address noted with concern that corruption had hampered and continued to bedevil the Primary Health Care (PHC) service delivery in Nigeria.
“The opportunity cost of financial corruption in health is inestimable. What is the cost of a life? Therefore, in health, corruption must either be prevented or nipped in the bud at infancy.
“A cancerous like corruption is worse than a pandemic – procurement of substandard equipment, fake drugs, revenue leakages, and inflated health bills are some of the immediate results of corruption,” she said.
While calling for a holistic approach in tackling the menace across the country, she called for the adoption of a public health approach to making the PHC system corruption-free.
According to her, rather than detecting the corruption after it has been committed, audit and petition style, it must be prevented.
“And, if it occurs, it must be detected as `Outbreak Control’ as soon as possible through the use of sensitive tools and surveillance.”
She expressed concern that corruption thrived in weak systems with non-strategic and comprehensive processes.
She, therefore, identified blocks of the health system that must be strengthened to achieve a health service delivery system that would serve the people as envisaged and planned.
“The Governance and Leadership building block is very key to engendering the corruption-free Primary Health Care delivery for all.
“Honest and competent leadership at key positions in the PHC and Health system will clean the Augean stable. This can only be achieved if competent, transparent and proven professionals are in place to manage the PHC system.
“Therefore, policies and laws must be in place to ensure that filling of these managerial positions are merit based, and continued occupation of these offices is based on performance.”
Dr Muyi Aina, Executive Director the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), in a goodwill message, said that PHC was a people-centered and whole-of-society approach to health care delivery.
Aina was represented by Dr Oritseweyimi Ogbe, Director Special Duties NPHCDA
“It is therefore the great pillar that holds a nation’s health system and the platform to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Consequently, the dysfunctional effect of corruption in the health sector is often most devastating at the PHC level.
“These acts are often in the form of bribes to provide services, extortion, patient discrimination or outright misuse of funds meant for health care delivery among other vices.
“The cumulative effects of these corrupt practices include distrust of government by individuals and communities.
“Others are poor uptake of services infrastructural decay, and a vicious cycle of impoverishment of the most vulnerable members of the society, with the resultant poor health outcomes,” he said
The Rivers State Chief judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi has granted pardon to six inmates standing awaiting trial at the Port Harcourt maximum correctional center.
The six lucky inmates granted pardon on Tuesday by the state Chief Judge included Nwekeala Chizoba, Samuel Emmanuel, Aniete Kelvin, Ebube Fubara and Goddey Okpara who were on awaiting trial as murder suspects and have all spent between 10 years to seven years in the custody without a proper information filed against them in the court.
Justice Amadi during a special gaol delivery exercise last Tuesday at the Port Harcourt Maximum Correctional Centre opined that the special gaol delivery was part of activities lined up to commomerate the 2024/2025 legal year in the State and restated the commitment of the state judiciary in decongesting the correctional centre and ensuring that those inmates who are not supposed to be there are removed from the custody.
The state chief judge stressed the need for all stakeholders to work together to build a society that supports rehabilitation and gives a second chance to anyone or group of people who have fallen short of the expectation of the law and have been punished accordingly.
He stressed that the National Judicial Council(NJC) encourages judges to pay more attention to criminal matters to enable them to decongests the correctional facilities, noting that since his assumption into office, his administration has been able to reduce the number of inmates in Nigerian Correctional Centres and the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre in particular, to less than 2,000 as against the over 4,000 inmates previously in the faculty.
According to him, “as they release the deserving inmates, they affirm their commitment to justice, compassion and rule of law but that they must not forget the fundamental principles of justice delivery system which is truth and fairness, integrity and equality before the law.”
I encourage you all the released inmates to return to your families and become better citizens. You must not engage in action that will return you all back to prison. Let me say that while the judges show empathy to you all, it does not absolved individuals from being held accountable for actions against individuals, corporate organisations and state which the law frowns at, ”he stated
The Chief Judge thereafter stood down the exercise to enable the DPP to intervene to case files following the fact that majority of the persons listed to benefit from the exercise are facing murder charges and adjourned to a date that will come before December.
Earlier in his goodwill message, the outgoing state Comptroller of Nigerian Correctional Centre, Port Harcourt, Felix Lawrence, who was recently promoted to the rank of Assistant Controller General, commended the state judiciary led by Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi for their continuous effort aimed at ensuring justice and decongesting the facilities.
Other activities lined up for the event included special church service at St Paul’s Cathedral , Anglican Communion, Rebisi Port Harcourt, inspection of guard of honour by the state Chief Judge mounted by officers of the Nigerian police and a special court session held at the ceremonial court hall.
By: AkujobiAmadi
The Director General of Rivers State Bureau on Public Procurement (RBoPP), Dr. Ine Briggs, has explained that the Sir Siminalayi Fubara administration plans to enforce transparency in governance through public procurement.
Speaking at a one-day Public Procurement Enlightenment workshop organised in collaboration with the State Local Government Service Commission for newly elected chairmen, vice chairmen, secretaries and leaders of legislative assemblies, Dr. Briggs said it is key for grassroot development.
She stated that the Sir. Fubara administration plans to reduce wastage and at same time infuse efficiency in public expenditure.
The RSoPP DG said the local government political office holders remain key drivers in the new vision hence the workshop is to arm them with knowledge on how to execute projects in tandem with needs of the people.
“ Your role in the prudent management of public resources is, therefore, not just administrative it’s the cornerstone of delivering the dividends of democracy. Every procurement decision you make must reflect a commitment to fairness, transparency and accountability” Dr. Briggs submitted.
One of the key goals of the administration she further reminded the participants was to use their offices to foster economic growth through public procurement.
She warned that the law establishing the agency empowers it to penalise defaulters, but that what is more important is voluntary compliance to the laws.
In addition to that, she said urged the local government council leaders that champion the practice and implementation of public procurement law.
On his part, Acting Chairman of Local Government Service Commission, Pastor GoodLife Ben Iduoku averred that the aim of the workshop is to arm key stakeholders in the local government system to generate new ideas, innovation and strategies in tandem with government policies and programmes.
The workshop dealt on various topics on procurement planning, methods, Understanding Bid Process, including types of Construction Contracts and law.
Some participants were awarded excellence and meritorious awards as part of the programme.
By: Kevin Nengia
The 19th anniversary of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Rivers State Chapter, recently ended in Port Harcourt in grand style, with participants from various schools including proprietors, the academia, civil society groups and top government functionaries charting the way forward for educational improvement.
The 19th NAPPS anniversary christened, ‘Innovation and Adaptation: Transforming Challenges Into Opportunities’ was held at Casoni Hotels, Port Harcourt.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Rivers State Chapter of the association, Dr. Jaja Adafe Sunday expressed gratitude to the members and executives for their untiring efforts towards the achievements of the body.
He sought the intervention of government on the lingering crisis on the economy as it is affecting the running of schools.
He decried high cost of things including fuel and raw materials which has adversely affected the running of schools and payment of teachers.
Dr. Sunday hinted that the current economic situation in the nation is biting hard on the operations of schools, saying inflation, removal of fuel subsidy, fuel scarcity, poor electricity supply, tariffs and lack of government grants are some of the challenges faced by schools, and urged the members to brace up to the challenges, as it is the panacea to building a brighter future.
Guest speakers from the health sector and the academia thrilled the gathering on the essence of basic education which they said is the key to national development.
Former Dean of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Professor Azuru and the Chief Medical Director of Meridian Hospitals, Dr. Odo Iyke were some notable guest speakers who delivered lectures at the occasion.
Some distinguished proprietors also got special recognitions and awards.
The 19th anniversary cake was cut by the Rivers State NAPPS Chairman with representatives of the state government assisting.