Aisha Buhari tackles CMD of Aso Rock clinic

Aisha Buhari, wife of the president, confronted Husain Munir, chief medical director of Aso Villa Clinic, on Monday.

Munir was among the guests at a stakeholders meeting on Reproductive, Maternal, Nutrition, Child Advocacy and Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH) which held at the banquet hall of the presidential villa in Abuja.

The president’s wife narrated how she could not use the facility when she was ill, disclosing that she ended up receiving medical attention at a hospital owned by foreigners.

Wondering why the management of the clinic would be constructing new projects when medical items such as syringes were not available, the president’s wife told Munir that the budget allocated to the clinic must be accounted for.

“Before I commence my speech, I will like to be realistic and say a few words concerning health in Nigeria and health delivery system in Nigeria,” she said.

“The Nigeria health sector is in very poor state, sorry to say the least. I am happy the CMD of Aso Clinic is here, is here around? Dr. Munir (Dr. Hussain Munir, consultant cardiologist and the chief medical director at state house medical centre) or his representative? Ok he is around.

“Ok Dr. Munir I’m happy you are here. As you are all aware, Nigeria wasn’t stable because of my husband’s ill health. We thank God he is fully recovered now.

“If somebody like Mr President can spend several months outside Nigeria, then you wonder what will happen to a common man on the street?

“Few weeks ago I was sick as well, they advised me to take the first flight out to London, I refused to go. I said I must be treated in Nigeria because there is a budget for an assigned clinic to take care of us.

“If the budget is N100 million, we need to know how the budget is spent. Along the line, I insisted they call Aso Clinic to find out if the X-ray machine was working, they said it was not working. They didn’t know I am the one that was supposed to be in that hospital at that very time.

“I had to go to a hospital that was established by foreigners in and out 100 percent. What does that mean?

“So, I think is high time we did the right thing. If something like this can happen to me, no need for me to ask the governors wives what is happening in their states. This is Abuja, the seat of government, and this is presidential villa.”

O”ne of the speakers, already said we have very good policies in Nigeria, in fact we have the best policies in Africa. Yes, of course, we have but the implementation has been the problem.

“So, we need to change our mindset and do the right thing. I’m sure Dr. Munir will not like me saying this but I have to say it out. As the chief medical director, there are a lot of constructions going on in this hospital but there is no single syringe, there what does that mean? Who will use the building? We have to be good in reasoning. You are building new structures but there is no equipment, no consumables in the hospital and the construction is still going on.”

Buhari’s wife’s outburst comes a week after her daughter attacked Jalal Arabi, the state house permanent secretary who oversees the clinic, over the situation at the facility.

The first daughter had also demanded accountability.

In August, TheCable did a report on the embarrassing situation at the hospital.