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It was designed and built arsenic a superior wellness centre (PHC) of archetypal prime for infants and maternal wellness challenges, particularly for agrarian residents. Sadly, the Cottage Hospital astatine Obong Ntak assemblage successful Etim Ekpo section authorities country of Akwa Ibom State is crying for repairs.
The hospital, which existed earlier the instauration of the State successful 1987, has go a shadiness of itself, having been abandoned by successive administrations astatine the authorities and LGA levels.
LEADERSHIP checks revealed that astir politicians successful Etim Ekpo LGA, immoderate presently serving successful government, were calved astatine the hospital. However, they showed implicit dissonance with the forlorn look of the hospital, which governments person abysmally neglected.
“This infirmary had implicit the years been the lone healthcare centre for the agrarian people, providing casual entree to medicare for large women, infants and impermanent succour for superior ailments earlier referral to secondary oregon tertiary hospitals,” Sifon Ekamma Essien, a nonmigratory of Obong Ntak community, recalled.
“A batch of our large politicians were calved successful this hospital, but sadly, they person turned a unsighted oculus to this installation due to the fact that it’s nary longer their business, having gotten capable currency from the taxpayers to patronise modular clinics and hospitals some successful Nigeria and abroad,” she stressed.
It was gathered that the infirmary reeking successful neglect lacked indispensable aesculapian facilities and different consumables. It present lies prostrate with aesculapian workers and information unit having deserted the immense analyzable and near it to rot.
It was further learnt that the facility, overgrown with weeds, has go the epicentre of chaotic reptiles, arsenic some, according to residents, had been attacked, particularly by snakes.
“We person had cases of snake bites, which person forced immoderate workers to shun the premises, arsenic some the authorities and the section authorities neglect to amusement involvement successful the rot.
Lamenting the sick upwind that has blown implicit the erstwhile celebrated wellness installation successful Etim Ekpo LGA, Eno John Enyiekpon, from the neighbouring Ikot Ese village, said, “Access to medicare facilities has go a large nightmare for patients, particularly large women successful exigency situations.
“This installation utilized to cater to the wellness needs of patients crossed respective villages successful Obong Clan, including Udianga Enem, Ibie Nnung Achat, Obon Ebot, Ikot Mkporikoo and others, but sadly, now, galore large women patronise section commencement attendants and different unwholesome outlets.
“Sometimes, they are fortunate to beryllium delivered of their babies; immoderate mothers would either dice oregon suffer their babies successful the process,” helium stated.
Perhaps, the large involution enactment connected the hospital, it was learnt, happened astir 1 twelvemonth ago, erstwhile the contiguous past assembly chairman, Hon. Ekpok Eshiet, gave it a facelift.
Enobong Akpan, from the infirmary community, noted that the involution became indispensable “because the erstwhile president happened to travel from Obong Ntak, the hospital’s big community.
“The installation was erstwhile hailed arsenic a large accomplishment nether the contiguous past modulation chairman, Hon. Ekpuk Esiet. Soon after, it was neglected, overtaken by heavy bushes and unsafe reptiles.
“Snakes, bats and different chaotic creatures person taken implicit the premises, forcing wellness unit to wantonness the gathering and unrecorded successful backstage residences acold from the wellness centre.
“No 1 wants to hazard his oregon her beingness surviving here. We could aftermath up to snakes successful our rooms,” 1 of the nurses said anonymously.
For this, immoderate distraught patients present instrumentality pains to trudge the fewer kilometres Etim Ekpo- Iwukem Road to entree a backstage infirmary astatine Iwukem colony and the neighbouring Azumini Hospital successful Ukwa East LGA, Abia State.
“A wellness centre should not look similar this. We were blessed erstwhile the unit quarters were commissioned, but this is not what we expected,” Ubong Inyang lamented.
According to the wellness workers, respective appeals person been made to the existent Etim Ekpo LGA chairman, Mr. Gideon Uwa, for intervention, “particularly successful providing labourers to wide the situation regularly,” but regretted that specified entreaties stay unheeded.
The commissioner for Health, Dr. Ekem John, has fixed the medication of Governor Umo Eno, a walk people connected its committedness to providing businesslike wellness attraction transportation services, disclosing that billions of naira person been devoted to gathering and repositioning wellness infrastructure successful the 31 LGAs.
Besides, to guarantee all-around aesculapian services, helium disclosed the government’s plans to enlistee 2,000 wellness professionals to supply effectual healthcare transportation services. However, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) wondered what magic the recently recruited medics would execute successful the look of debased morale oc...
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