By Paul Effiong, Abuja
House of Representatives Committee on Speciality Healthcare has expressed anger with the Ministry of Health over the closure of the Federal College of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, FEDCAM.
The committee demanded accountability in terms of funds approved for the college in annual budgets since the closure in October 2010.
The panel, had through a motion moved during plenary by Jonathan Gbwefi on May 7, demanded that the management of the college accounts for all the funds approved since the closure of the institution in October 2010 by the federal government.
In his opening remarks, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas assured of the commitment of the House to make strong legislations that would improve the health sector.
“We will use legislations to tackle the challenges in health institutions and ensure effective oversight of the critical sector,” he said.
This was at the instance of the probe organised by the House Committee on Health Institutions held at the National Assembly Complex yesterday in Abuja.
In his address, the speaker disclosed that the hearing was part of the resolution of the green chamber to interrogate the reported unauthorised disbursement of funds and continued closure of the health institution.
He stated that in the 10th House Legislative Agenda, parliament is committed to strengthening oversight of the health sector.
He assured of the House commitment to use the appropriate legislative interventions to tackle all the challenges of medical professionals.
In his opening remarks, Chairman of the panel, Alex Egbona explained that his committee is aware that several years after the college was shut down and its management suspended, it continued to receive and disburse funds including expending its capital and recurrent budgets amounting to millions of naira.
He informed that his committee had received several petitions on allegations of unauthorised disbursement of funds and financial impropriety by the ministry and officials of the college.
The committee later grilled the Health Ministry and management of the college over these issues, demanding accountability and a quick look at the challenges that led to the current crisis.
At the hearing, the representative of the minister of state for health informed that in 2010, the National Universities Commission, NUC, closed down the college due to what it noted as ‘unguarded statement’ of the then registrar.
He informed the panel that at the height of the crisis, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, were invited to investigate the alleged corrupt practices in the institution.
Consequently, the committee requested from the invited stakeholders, the nominal roll of the academic and non-academic staff of the college to ascertain certain claims.
