The Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Dr. James Enimi Omietimi, has raised concerns over the non-release of the centre’s 2025 capital allocation, saying the development has negatively impacted the progress of ongoing projects and the overall operations of the medical facility.

Omietimi, who made this known when he received the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) team conducting physical verification of select federal government projects in the South-South region, particularly called for the timely release of capital allocations, to enable the institution complete its ongoing projects and provide effective healthcare services.

The FRC verification team, led by the Head of the Strategic Communication Directorate of the Commission, Mr. Bede Ogueri Anyanwu, visited the FMC, Yenagoa, as part of the Commission’s ongoing exercise to ascertain the level of implementation of some capital projects funded by the federal government.

According to a statement from the FRC, Omietimi said the delay in the release of the 2025 capital funds had made it difficult for the centre to sustain the momentum of work on its ongoing projects.

The situation, he said, has also exposed the institution to operational challenges, making it increasingly difficult to provide the expected level of healthcare services to residents of Bayelsa State and neighbouring communities.

The statement quoted him as saying,

“We should not pretend because things have not been too good lately,” adding that the realities confronting healthcare institutions on the ground were sometimes different from what was being portrayed in the media.

He explained that the day-to-day realities of running a tertiary healthcare institution were demanding, noting that the Centre had been struggling to keep the system functioning effectively amid the prevailing financial constraints.

Omietimi also expressed concern over the changing attitude of some residents towards orthodox medicine, noting that some patients now resort to traditional medicine practitioners before seeking professional medical attention.

He said many patients only return to FMC Yenagoa when their health conditions have deteriorated and require advanced medical intervention.

He appealed to the federal government to urgently intervene by ensuring adequate funding for the Centre, particularly the timely release of capital allocations, to enable the institution complete its ongoing projects and provide effective healthcare services.

Earlier, the leader of the FRC verification team, Mr. Bede Ogueri Anyanwu, explained that the purpose of the exercise was to ascertain the extent to which funds appropriated and released for Federal Government projects were being utilised and to ensure that the projects deliver value to Nigerians.

Anyanwu said the exercise was part of the Commission’s statutory responsibility of promoting transparency, accountability and prudent management of public funds, in line with the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.

He said that the presence of the FRC team at FMC Yenagoa was not intended to witch-hunt the management of the Centre or any government institution, but to establish the facts on the ground regarding the implementation of the selected projects.

“Our mission is to promote transparency, accountability and prudent management of public funds as contained in the mandate of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission and the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007,” Anyanwu said.

He added that the team was particularly interested in determining whether funds released for the projects had been appropriately utilised and whether the projects were achieving the intended objectives for which they were approved.

According to him, physical verification provides an opportunity for the Commission to establish the actual status of projects, identify challenges affecting implementation and ensure that government investments translate into tangible benefits for citizens. (AriseNews)

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