.. Say’s it’ll reduce maternal, infants mortality
By Gabriel Udeh, Kaduna
The Unguwar-Jatau community in Kaduna state has appealed to governor Nasir El-rufai to open the Primary Health Care center (PHC) build three years ago but was abandoned, to reduce maternal and infant mortality in the area.
The community, located just behind National teachers Institutes (NTI), around Rigachikum, in Igabi local Government Kaduna state, has a population of about 3000 habitants which are predominantly Gwagyi by tribe.
Most of the residents, we reliably learnt are peasant farmers and rearers of animals, while women are into sales of firewood and charcoal business as their main source of livelihood.
In an interview with journalists, a traditional title holders in the Community Mr Musa kasuwa (sarkin Fada), said the hospital was constructed 3 years ago, equipped with all the necessary facilities to enabled it start smooth operation, but was abandoned.
“Every facilities that are inside the hospital remain intact, but lack of opening the hospital is becoming worrisome ,as most of the villagers have to travel very far-away in terms of accessing medical diagnosis and other medical check-up.
“The PHC is one of the biggest with many rooms and the building is of great standard which has been there for many years, abandoned for no reasons”
He said, the community don’t know the reason why the Government abandoned such a beautiful hospital which was constructed with huge amount of money with the aims of helping all the villages to reduce the number of women and children that die due to bad road, and distance.
He note that traditional birth attendance in the community have been helping most of the rural women when delivering babies during raining season in the night.
Sarkin fada said, there are plenty sick people in the communities and if the government can open the hospital, the rate at which people die would reduce tremendously. We don’t know why the hospital remain closed for over 3 years now while there are hundreds of sick people here and from our neighboring communities that need the services of the PHC”, he said, during raining season, some of the poor that are living in the area use wheel barrow ,Bicycles ,motorbike or animals to take pregnant women and other sick once to hospital due to bad road.
“We are begging Kaduna state government to come and open this hospital for us ” “Opening this hospital would reduce the problems our women, elderly ones and children encounter”
We are appealing to Kaduna state government to come to our rescue and open this hospital so that all the neighboring communities would also benefit from the PHC and solve the problems of travelling long distance trying to access medical
“Opening the hospital would reduce numbers of death in the communities and would surely help people overcomes the challenges of going long distance for accessing medical facilities”
“The hospital building is getting destroyed day-by-day and that is not Good, because huge amount of money was used to construct such a beautiful facilities”, he said adding also that “The bridge that connect them to major town and cities of the state have collapsed.
He said, “each and every family were forced to contribute N3000. Another resident in the community John Musa said, “There are merely 8 communities that would surely benefit from the hospital which include Unguwan Zabi, Tokare,Unguwar sarki,unguwar Fulani, Kukumake, Rafin Guza, Malalin-gabas, Ruhugi, Gwauro including residents of Rigachikum”, he added.
He said many women and children that are living at these areas are finding it difficult when it comes to issues related to going to hospital.
Mr. John called on primary health care agency to visit the community and open the hospital for medical services rather than just building such an expensive PHC and allowing it to rot.
