By Newsmata
At the receiving end of brickbats hurled at him by the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) over his observation of “construction defects” discovered at the Stella Obasanjo Hospital project, Edo State commissioner for health, Dr. Cyril Oshiomhole, has shed light on the issues of concern to him when he went on inspection tour of the 250-bed hospital.
Speaking to journalists after the inspection on Tuesday, the commissioner said he had taken remedial measures against some of these construction defects.
When Newsmata reached out to him on Wednesday, Dr. Oshiomhole identified five key errors in the project which he said the contractor had agreed to make amends. The commissioner, scion of a former governor of the state, Senator Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, who was sworn in last week by Governor Monday Okpebholo, identified “significant deficiencies in the architectural design and planning” among others.
Addressing specific issues, Dr. Oshiomhole explained that “A hospital without designated offices for doctors and other healthcare professionals is not only impractical but reflects a glaring oversight in planning”, stressing that “These spaces are critical for consultations, documentation, and administrative tasks”.
Noting that “Insufficient lighting in a hospital setting can hinder healthcare delivery and pose safety risks to patients and staff”, the commissioner pointed out that “Good lighting design is essential for clinical accuracy and creating a safe, welcoming environment”.
Dr. Oshiomhole asserted that “In malaria-endemic regions, the absence of mosquito nets is a serious health hazard”, while “adequate ventilation is also crucial for maintaining air quality and reducing the spread of airborne diseases, especially in tropical climates”.
He insisted that “Architectural designs in tropical regions must account for climate factors, such as heat, humidity, and natural ventilation needs”, submitting that “failure to adapt the design to the local terrain and environment demonstrates poor planning and a lack of context-sensitive solutions”.
Dr. Oshiomhole concluded that “Commissioning a poorly designed and incomplete hospital undermines public confidence and may compromise delivery and it can also reflect wastefulness, as additional resources will likely be needed to fix these issues”.
Recall that the PDP had in a venomous response to his comment in a statement on Wednesday signed by the publicity secretary of its caretake committee, Chris Osa Nehikhare, said “It is particularly laughable and ridiculous that Cyril Oshiomhole, the son of the former governor of the state, Adams Aliu Oshiomhole, is the one making these unfounded claims, lamenting about a non-existent structural defect, when it was his father, who as governor, superintended the construction of the Edo Specialist Hospital, where a section of the building collapsed due to structural defects, killing at least two innocent Edo citizens”.
The statement, signed by the publicity secretary of the party’s caretake committee, Chris Osa Nehikhare, said, “For someone with such a history, it is only hypocritical to point fingers at the Stella Obasanjo Hospital, disparaging the fully functional and operational facility where no lives have been lost when his father’s greed and selfishness led to the death of innocent people. He therefore lacks any moral standing to do”.
The PDP accused Governor Okpebholo of “desperately attempting to diminish the undeniable impact of the Stella Obasanjo Hospital on the state’s healthcare system for political reasons”, describing the ploy as “petty, ignoble and infantile”.
Nehikhare said “It is widely acknowledged by anyone who has visited or used the hospital that it ranks as one of the best in the South-South region, if not the entire country, and this was made possible by the huge investment made by the immediate past government of His Excellency, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, in upgrading and equipping the hospital to world-class standards”.