The family members of former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, are set to open the hospital in the Gwarimpa, Abuja. Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala’s husband, Ikemba Iweala, and their son, Uchechi Iweala, who are medical doctors, will
serve as chairman of the board and medical director respectively at the hospital, Capital Health and Surgical Care Center.
It was originally to be formally opened last June by GEJ, on the assumption that he would be reelected. The hospital, which has been quietly under construction and development in the last 3 years, is equipped with 50 beds, 3 operating rooms, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and CT scan.
The hospital’s architectural design was undertaken by Perkins + Will Global, a major player in the world’s architectural scene. The firm is based in Washington, DC with offices in more than 24 countries all over the world. The hospital’s interior design was done by Perkins + Will/DAR Group.
Another US-based multinational company, General Electric, handled the hospital’s technological equipment and infrastructure. The project does not list any indigenous Nigerian company as being involved in the conception or execution of any aspect of the hospital. While the hospital’s website does not provide any cost estimate, 2 sources familiar with the project claimed it costs between $100 and $150m.
When EFCC was contacted to ascertain whether they know the financial backers of the project, a senior officer said: “No, we are not aware.” He added that the agency had no reason to investigate the source of the hospital’s funds.
He added that: “The only issue is that the arrowheads of the hospital are family members of the former Coordinating Minister of the Economy. But we cannot just investigate unless we receive information that public funds were somehow committed to the project.”…… medical services at d d hospital r free bt u av to buy a hospital card of a token of N3m….. Credit: SaharaReporters.