Gawon Mala community residents in Mani Local Government Area of Katsina State are finding it difficult to access healthcare delivery as a health centre in the area has become terribly deplorable.
On a visit to the Gawon Mala community hospital, one is confronted with the deplorable nature of the hospital. The hospital building that is near collapse has a leaking roof and fallen windows.
Many patients that visit the hospital to receive treatment for their illness were seen sitting on the floor while waiting to be attended to by a health worker because there are no chairs for them to sit.
Tracka, a public accountability organization that exposed the deplorable nature of the hospital, revealed that the situation at Gawon Mala health centre is so bad that there is no light, water, and hospital equipment for it to function effectively.
The hospital that many of the community residents rely upon for their healthcare delivery, has only one casual worker and two volunteers.
An indication that shows the Katsina State government has not been able to deploy genuine health workers to Gawon Mala community hospital to provide healthcare delivery to the people.
Mr. Sani Abdullahi, who hails from Katsina State and claims to have a good knowledge of the deplorable condition of the Gawon Mala community hospital, who spoke to MAWA-Foundation, described the situation as wicked and unfortunate.
Abdullahi while describing the terrible health situation in Katsina state, told MAWA –Foundation that the situation in Gawon Mala is far better compared to what is obtainable in other rural areas in Katsina State.
He pointed out that there are a good number of rural communities in Katsina State without health centres while residents die from illnesses that can easily be treated.
“As I speak to you, the situation of Gawon Mala healthcare is far better compared to what is obtainable in rural communities in Katsina, go inside the rural areas, you cannot help but weep”, Abdullahi told MAWA.
Worse still, Gawon Mala community hospital is this deplorable, even as the Katsina State in 2021 expended the sum of N2.713 billion on the governor’s office alone and N 383.048 million on his deputy.
Despite the Katsina State government in 2021 alone expending over N3 billion for the office of the Governor and his Deputy, the state Primary Health Care Development Agency that is saddled with the responsibilities of providing health care delivery to the entire communities in the state got N3.552 billion allocation.
A development that shows Katsina state does not place importance on healthcare delivery to his her people. A situation that further confirms how the Nigerian state does not see the importance of funding her health sector which has contributed to the nation losing huge sums of monies to foreign hospitals in the name of health tourism.
Tracka, an organization that exposed the deplorable condition of the hospital has since appealed to the Katsina State Government to immediately address issues regarding understaffing of primary health facilities which have become a common trend.
MAWA-Foundation could not immediately reach out to the Katsina State government for an official response.
