The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has vowed to unravel alleged missing of 13,350 diapers meant for antenatal care at a Primary Health Centre in Sambawa community, Kebbi.
The commission said it would investigate the criminal conduct and bring the culprits to book.
The Chairman of ICPC, Dr Musa Adamu, said this at a one-day conference, organised by the ICPC in Abuja, on Thursday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the conference titled “Engendering Corruption-Free Primary Health Care Delivery For All”.
”Recently, the Sambawa community in Kebbi State sent a petition to us regarding missing antenatal care items for pregnant women and newborn babies donated to a healthcare facility.
“Our preliminary investigation indicated that the missing diapers allocated to Sambawa Primary Healthcare Centre are 13,350 pieces, while the investigation by Kebbi State Primary Healthcare Agency puts it at 3,466.”
He said though two staff members of the Sambawa Primary Healthcare Centre, a male and a female, were indicted for the missing items, the commission intended to unravel the criminal conduct and bring the culprits to book.
He added that communities and civil society organisations were becoming more interested in tackling corruption in the health sector.
The chairman said that the commission was putting in place measures to ensure corruption-free primary healthcare delivery in the country.
He said that the commission organised the conference, which was part of the efforts being made to enlist and foster public support in combating corruption in the nation.
According to him, the conference is specifically organised to stimulate discussions that will help improve service delivery devoid of windows for corrupt tendencies in the health sector.
The Minister of Health, Muhammed Ali Pate, said the nation’s PHCs faced multifaceted challenges, including corruption that must be urgently tackled.
He added that corruption in the health sector could not be isolated from other sectors.
Pate said Nigeria had a prosperous future but prosperity would only come if citizens did the right things collectively.
“So, when we look at the issue of corruption in Nigeria, which is a long-standing issue, it’s almost everywhere but how do you address it?
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