Reps ask FCTA to halt termination of Garki Hospital concession

The House of Representatives on Thursday urged the Federal-Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to stay action on the termination of the Concession Agreement on Garki General Hospital, Abuja, pending the outcome of its investigation on the matter.

This is to save over 900 workers at the Hospital, including 21 consultants, 113 medical doctors, 24 house officers, 159 nurses, 96 patient care attendants, pharmacists, medical record officers, laboratory scientists and other technicians from losing their jobs.

The House resolution followed the amendment to a motion on: “Urgent Need to Save Over 900 Medical Officers from Losing their Jobs over the Termination of Public/Private/Partnership Concession Agreement on Garki General Hospital, Abuja sponsored by Benjamin Benjamin Mzondu (PDP, Benue), Yunusa Ahmed (APC, Gombe) and Kakale Balarabe (Sokoto).

Presenting the motion on behalf of the others, Mzondu explained that in 2007 the Federal Government through the Federal Capital Territory Executive Committee authorised the concessioning of Garki General Hospital, Abuja on a Public/Private/Partnership arrangement to a competent Private Healthcare Provider on the basis of a Public-Private Partnership for a period of 15 years.

The lawmaker said in March 2007 the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) signed a concession agreement with NISA Premier Hospital to manage the Garki General Hospital Abuja on a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP)
arrangement.

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He noted that the FCT administration on March 1, 2022, gave the management of the hospital notice to vacate and hand over the facility by April 1, 2022, following the expiration of the concession agreement and the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement with NISA Premier Hospital.

Mzondu said the House recalled that: “the management of the hospital had written severally to the FCT Administration for a review of the concession agreement without any response until March 1 2022 when the FCT administration sent a letter terminating the Concession Agreement with NISA Premier Hospital with the intention to take over the facility and hand over to another concessionaire.

“Worried that the short notice of termination of the concession agreement and takeover of the Garki Hospital by the FCT Administration may lead to the displacement of over 3000 patients with different health conditions, and many highly sensitive expensive world-class medical equipment may be damaged as much longer time is needed to be re-calibrated before removal and sudden termination notice which is not in tandem with PPP agreements according to Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission Act.

“Also worried that the one-month notice given the concessionaire (NISA Premier Hospital) to vacate the Hospital premises may be inadequate and contrary to Article 2.2 of the Concession Agreement and Regulation 29 of the Guidelines on Public-Private Partnership pursuant to the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) Act which specifies that a transition Committee made up of parties to the Concession Agreement and the ICRC be constituted to wind down the agreement within a period of 36 months.

Adopting the motion mandated the Committees on Privatization and Commercialization, and Health Institutions to intervene and liaise with the Concessionaire, the ICRC and the FCT Administration to resolve the issues for enhanced healthcare delivery in the Federal Capital Territory.