The Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, has said the state is not buoyant enough to run a 250-bed capacity hospital built by his predecessor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
Abiodun said this at the Statutory Meeting of the state Council of Obas, held at the Oba’s Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
DAILY POST reports that the hospital, according to the government, was 80 percent complete when the Amosun government handed it over.
At that stage, former President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the hospital in May 2019.
Due to incapacitation, the Abiodun-led government could not continue with the construction and running of the hospital.
Bushes have taken over the premises of the hospital.
Abiodun added that the state government has, however, concluded plans to concession the 250-bed hospital to Afrexim Bank and a medical group.
Abiodun noted that the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, OOUTH, is costing the state N300 million in a month to pay wages.
He said, “We are going to be signing the Memorandum of Understanding on the 250-Bed Hospital right here in Abeokuta.
“We realise that the state will not be able to run that hospital because, as it is, our tertiary hospital, OOUTH, costs the state almost N300 million every month in salaries alone. We appreciate the fact that the state is not in position to run that hospital the way it needs to be run.
“From what we have seen and done, if that hospital is properly run, medical tourism will be attracted to that hospital.
“So, the state has adopted a template that we will be the landlords owning that property and others should come and take the concession of that property and run it professionally.”
“Before the end of the year, we will sign the Memorandum of Understanding with the Afrexim Bank and the medical group that has agreed to take over that hospital, complete it and operationalise it professionally.”
