The Oyo State Government has distanced itself from the abandoned 80-bed Mother and Child Specialist Hospital in Pakiotan, Ogbomoso North Local Government Area, saying the facility was never built or handed over to the state.
The government described as misleading reports linking it to the non-utilisation of the hospital.
This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday in Ibadan by the Commissioner for Information, Mr Dotun Oyelade.
Oyelade clarified that the hospital is a Federal Government project facilitated by the former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare, and inaugurated on May 27, 2023.
According to him, available records show that the facility was subsequently handed over to the Federal Ministry of Health through the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
The commissioner maintained that the state government could not be held responsible for the failure to commence operations at the facility or for decisions concerning its staffing, management and inauguration.
He added that the facility had already suffered vandalism and looting before recent reports about its abandonment surfaced.
He noted that while the state government acknowledges the importance of the hospital to residents of Pakiotan and surrounding communities and shares their concern, the responsibility for its ownership, management and operationalisation lies with the relevant federal authorities.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the Seyi Makinde-led administration to improving access to healthcare across the state, adding that it is misleading to present the Pakiotan hospital as an abandoned project of the state government.
