Kaduna: Commission PHC to reduce child, maternal deaths, community urges govt

The residents of Unguwar-Jatau community, on the outskirts of Kaduna metropolis, have appealed to the state government to open an already built Primary Health Care centre (PHC) in the area, earlier abandoned for three years, to reduce maternal and infant mortality in the community.

In an interview with journalists, in Kaduna, on Saturday, Mr Musa Kasuwa, a traditional title holder of Sarkin Fada in the community, said the hospital was constructed three years ago and had been equipped with all the necessary facilities to make it operational.

Kasuwa said that while the facilities inside the hospital were in good condition, the centre was not in use, stressing that the issue was becoming worrisome, as most of the villagers have had to travel long distances to access medical services.

According to him, the health centre was one of the biggest in the community with adequate rooms and standard building, all of which had been abandoned for no reason.“We don’t know the reason why the Government abandoned such a beautiful hospital, constructed with huge amounts of money with the aim of helping the villagers reduce the number of women and children dying due to bad road and distance”,

Kasuwa said.He said that the traditional birth attendants in the community had been the ones helping deliveries by rural women, during the rainy season or at night.

” if the government can open this hospital, the rate at which people die would reduce tremendously, but we don’t know why the hospital remain closed for over three years, while there are hundreds of sick people from neighboring communities that need the services of the PHC”, he added.

He said during the rainy season, some of the poor living in the area used wheel barrow, Bicycles, motorbikes or animals, to convey pregnant women and other sick people to hospital, due to bad road.He, therefore, appealed to the state government to come to their rescue and open the PHC, to enable neighboring communities benefit and solve the problems of travelling long distances to access medical facilities.

Also commenting, Mr John Musa, a resident of the community, said there were eight communities that would surely benefit from the hospital, including Unguwan Zabi, Tokare, Unguwar Sarki, Unguwar Fulani, Kukumake, Rafin Guza, Malalin-Gabas, Ruhugi, ,Gwauro and residents of Rigachikum.

Musa said many women and children in the community were finding it difficult, when it comes to issues related to going to hospital adding that the Primary Health Care Development Agency should visit the community and open the hospital for medical services, rather allowing it to waste due to neglect.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the community, located behind the National Teachers institute ( NTI), near Rigachikum, Igabi local government area of the state, has a population of over 3000 habitants, mostly peasant farmers and livestock rearers, while the women are into selling firewood and charcoal. (NAN)