Dangara a community, Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, has over 26 communities and political wards under it.
There, health facility is a mirage.
The community, until 2019 had no functional health centre or clinic for 10 years, says Mr Iliyasu Bala,
Bala was the Personal Assistant (PA) and son to the the late Etsu of Dangara community, Alhaji Ibrahim Usman, he still acts as the spokesperson for the community.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on behalf of the community that even the one just built lacked adequate manpower.
According to him, the only existing health care facility in the community, was built by Community and Social Development Project (CSDP), an NGO, in late 2019, after 10 years
of no health care service in the Dangara, which he said was worrisome.
NAN reports that Dangara Chiefdom borders a landmass within Kuje, Abaji and Kwali Area Councils.
Bala alleged that the lives of pregnant women and children in the community were in danger, as there was only one nurse and a community health assistant assigned to the centre by the NGO.
“We have a primary health care centre and they take delivery but they don’t have enough equipment and manpower, this affects our pregnant women and even the babies.
“Babies do not get immunised except during routine immunisation, the women also do not have adequate care during pregnancy, which sometimes leads to maternal mortality.
“We have not had adequate medical care in this our community in 10 years , until 2019 when one was built by CSDP, an NGO.
“Infact one of the biggest challenges we have here is health facility.
“ The hospital we had was built in this village in the 80s, it was donated by the community to government.
“Because it was built with clay, there were challenges as the roof started leaking and the walls cracked this discouraged the medical personnel and they stopped coming.
“My father before his demise wrote several letters of appeal to the FCT administration but they never responded,” he said.
The spokesperson, however, appealed to the FCT minister, to urgently come to their rescue and build a befitting Primary Health Care facility with adequate manpower to improve health services in the community to stem maternal and infant mortality. (NAN)
