A group under the agies of Surveillance for a better Kogi State has berated the management of Kogi State Specialist Hospital Lokoja led by the Chief Medical Director, Prof Isah Yahaya Adagiri, for allegedly extorting the public with their exorbitant medical charges from their patients.
The group, in a statement by it spokesperson, Adeiza Ibrahim on Wednesday lamented that the Hospital that used to be a safe haven for patients because of it accessibility and affordability for healthcare has now become a shadow of itself as cost of services has gone through the roof.
While calling on the Kogi State Government to urgently intervene before things gets out of hand, Ibrahim disclosed that, the hospital CMD has been invited by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for allegedly misappropriating the hospital funds.
He, however, called on Kogi State Governor Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo to relieve Prof Adagiri of his job, adding that, the public have lost confidence in his leadership.
“A visit to the hospital shows paucity of patients in the wards. Even the central corridor that used to show the very busy activities of people moving up and down from one station to the other, can be seen to be deserted.
“The reception of the hospital which houses the card section, reflects how the busy hospital has turned into something else under the leadership of the current CMD, Prof Isah Yahaya Adagiri, a Professor of Chemical Pathology.
“The hospital itself is ailing, and needs urgent attention of the government of His Excellency Usman Ododo to reposition it for improved healthcare delivery. The hospital needs to be taken for ‘medical care’
“There are a lot of complaint about the high-handedness of the CMD who is said to be a very poor Administrator, and has shown more interest in making profit than patient care. His interest in profit more than professional care has brought him into clashes with professionals in the hospital in the past.
“The government of His Excellency Usman Ododo needs to look at the complaint of paucity of doctors in the hospital. There is also the need to look at how to motivate the medical doctors and the staff to improve their morale which is very low at the moment.
“There is a disquiet in the hospital that the finances of the hospital is under investigation by Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC). The CMD Prof Isah Yahaya Adagiri is said to be running up and down to perfect documents in the store and registry about supplies his contactors made.
“It will be recalled that the CMD Prof Isah Yahaya Adagiri allegedly auctioned some vehicles to himself and some other staff of the hospital in an unwholesome manner that lacked integrity. His own new jeep bought by former Governor Yahaya Bello a few years ago was also auctioned to himself at a give away price and taken away to Kano. The office of the CMD no longer has an official vehicle.
“Information reaching us revealed that the tenure of the CMD Professor Isah Yahaya Adagiri expired last Sunday. He still comes to office but is reported to have used his lawyer to inform ICPC that he is not in town at the moment so that he can hide from ICPC for some time.
” We are hereby calling the Governor of Kogi State to save Kogi State Specialist Hospital Lokoja from further slide and total collapse. The people of Kogi State have benefitted from the services of this hospital that is becoming a shadow of itself” he stated.
All effort to speak with the CMD Kogi State Specialist Hospital Prof Isah Yahaya Adagiri proved abortive as at the time of filing this reports. He could not be reached through his cell phone.
