From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
The People of Unguwan-Jatau community in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State have appealed to Governor Nasir El-Rufai to open a newly built Primary Health Centre (PHC) to reduce maternal and infant mortality in the area.
The community of about 3,000 habitats of mostly peasant farmers of Gbagyi extraction says the opening of the facility and posting of health workers would help check out-of-pocket medical bills and save lives.
A traditional titleholder in this community, Musa Kasuwa (Sarkin Fada), told reporters that the hospital was constructed three years ago and is equipped with all the necessary facilities to enable it to start smooth operations.
‘Every facility inside the hospital remains Intact. But lack of opening the hospital is becoming worrisome as most of the villagers have to travel distant kilometres in an attempt to access medical diagnosis and other medical check-ups,’ he said.
‘The PHC is one of the biggest with many rooms and the building is of great standard which has been abandoned for no reason known to us.
‘The community does not know the reason why the government abandoned such a beautiful hospital which was constructed with a huge amount of money to help all the villages around to reduce the number of women and children that died due to bad road and distance.
‘All these years, the traditional birth attendance (TBA) in the community has been helping most of the rural women to deliver their babies, especially during the raining season or at night.
‘During raining season, some of the poor and vulnerable that live in the area use wheelbarrows, bicycles, motorcycles or animals to take pregnant women and other sick people to hospitals over far distances due to bad road.
‘We are begging the Kaduna State Government to come and open this hospital for us. Opening this hospital would reduce the problems our women, elderly and children encounter daily,’ he appealed.
Another resident in the community, John Musa, said: ‘There are about ten 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.’