Residents of Adija in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State have no access to healthcare as the only Primary Health Care (PHC) in the area has since collapsed even as the state spent N9.07 billion in the second quarter of 2020 on capital projects.
Worse still, despite N9.07 billion expended by the Benue State in the second quarter of 2020 on capital projects, Adija community hospital is in a deplorable condition making it impossible for the resident to have access to healthcare.
This is even as community residents say that is the only hospital the entire population depends on for healthcare delivery.
Tracka a public accountability organization that exposed the deplorable nature of the hospital has since appealed to Mr. Samuel Ortom, the Benue State Governor to help fix it.
Mr. Benjamin, a community resident, speaking to MAWA said apart from the deplorable nature of the hospital, the community lacks basic infrastructures such as roads, water, school, and electricity.
“Many residents of Adija, especially women have died giving birth as a result of inadequate healthcare, we had made efforts to get the state government to give us healthcare, but nothing has been done,” Benjamin told MAWA.
“Adija is not the only community suffering deplorable healthcare in Benue State, other communities especially in the rural areas have no hospital and are dying of sicknesses that can easily be cured”, Benjamin added.
Mr. Tena, a health worker in one of the hospitals in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, speaking to MAWA via a telephone conversation, described healthcare in the state as the most unfortunate and wondered why the state does not care about the health of its people.
“You can imagine, every year, a huge amount of money is voted into health and education, and in these two sectors, nothing is being done. We must address this kind of naked corruption if we must move forward as a country”, Tena said.
MAWA FOUNDATION could not immediately reach out to the Benue State Government for an official response.