Ledi community residents in Gwagwalada Area Council of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja the Nigerian capital city are lamenting over a deplorable Healthcare Centre they rely on for medical care.
The deplorable condition of the community Healthcare Centre has forced residents to travel about 10 kilometres to Dobi in search of medical care, many of the locals said.
This is even as a Healthcare Centre in Dobi they rely upon as an alternative to medical care delivery has been abandoned and left uncompleted for over 10 years. On a visit to the Centre, one sees an uncompleted building that has been left unattended for a long period. This situation has forced Ledi residents to resort to Abuja University Hospital as the only alternative for better healthcare delivery.
Ledi Community Healthcare Centre is this deplorable even as over 10 villages rely upon it for their medical care delivery.
Mr. Usman, a community champion who spoke to MAWA about the deplorable condition of the Healthcare Centre, narrated how health workers deployed to work in the place are forced to leave out of frustration because there is no equipment and drug for them to work with.
Usman who claims to have visited many community Healthcare Centres in Gwagwalada and other communities in the FCT told MAWA that many of the hospitals are in deplorable condition and need urgent intervention to be fixed.
“I have visited many of the Primary Healthcare Centres in Gwagwalada Area Council Area, many of them are in deplorable condition and need urgent intervention to get them fixed”, Usman told MAWA.
Ledi Community Healthcare Centre has continued to be in this deplorable condition, even as the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), budgeted N1.3 billion in 2020 for the upgrade of Primary Healthcare across communities in FCT.
Ramatu Aliyu, FCT Minister of State, at the flag-off of the National Integrated Mobile Outreach Programme (I-MOP) at Bwari Area Council of Abuja, said the idea of setting aside such a huge sum of money was to provide adequate and effective health service delivery to those living in Abuja.
However, visits to Ledi Healthcare Centre and other community hospitals, show the N1.3 billion set aside by the FCTA for a hospital upgrade does not reflect on them.
Many of the community hospitals, continue to be in deplorable condition despite the amount allocated to improving them.
The deplorable condition of Healthcare Centres found all over communities in FCT, shows that the Nigerian state is yet to realize that Primary Health Care is a frontline response to about 80 percent of the country’s population’s health needs.
And, if the Nigerian state must address her health challenges, she must acknowledge that Primary Healthcare Centres are fundamental, and ensures they are strong and effective to deliver service to the people.
MAWA Foundation could not immediately reach out to the FCTA for an official response.