New Telegraph

Kogi govt. laments loss of medical equipment worth billions

Muhammad Bashir, Lokoja

 

Following the widespread vandalisation and looting of government properties by hoodlums and arsonists, the Kogi State government has said it has medical equipment and consumables worth billions of naira.

The Kogi Police Command had on Wednesday, paraded 56 suspected hoodlums alleged of looting and vandalisation of medical equipment and agricultural inputs belonging to the state and federal governments.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Saka Audu, while disclosing government’s losses at a press conference on Wednesday, after he led a team from the ministry and the media to inspect the burgled medical store located along Zone 8, Lokoja, expressed shock over the unfortunate development, saying it would be very difficult for Kogi to recover from it.

He stressed that the state do not have the capacity to recover what had been carted away or vandalised in a short period without adequate external intervention and support.

”With a heavy heart I am obliged to make public a very sad development, a kind of which I have never witnessed in my whole life.

”The Kogi State Central Medical Store was burgled and equipment worth billions of naira was stolen.

”Those that couldn’t be stolen like the walk in refrigerator for immunisation, components of MRI/CT scan machines were vandalised beyond repair, while others were moved from the store and broken into pieces in nearby bushes.

”The situation is indeed worrisome, and should be a cause for concern to all Kogites as it sets us back many paces in our efforts to provide quality healthcare to all.

””It is also beyond my comprehension as the items in our store bear no semblance to food items which could be of benefits to these heartless invaders. The impact of this dastardly act will linger for long,” Audu said.

He added that the state was currently quantifying the extent of the damage and would eventually make public the list of stolen items and cost implications.

He stressed that the state had lost the entire content of the medical store, saying not even office equipment or ordinary immunization cards were left untouched.

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