Government neglect threatens service delivery at Piko PHC

Wanyibi blamed the area council for neglecting the PHC, leading to a massive rot both in the structure and medical facilities.
Speaking to Aso chronicle, he disclosed how residents seek medical attention at other neighbouring communities and decried the negligence of the authorities at providing up-to-date medical equipment and sound services to help curb the numerous health challenges in his community and Nigeria at large. The PHC has only two rooms, one of which was used to pack some medical equipment and obsolete hospital beds that are laden with dust. The other room served as the reception area, the Community Health Worker (CHEW’s) office and the emergency ward.
The CHEW, Felicia Danlami, had been sleeping before these reporters arrived, confirming the statement made by the village head that the clinic was no longer serving its purpose for the community as limited people patronised it.
Danlami, the only CHEW manning the PHC, said that the clinic has been operating ineffectively because of insufficient man power and poor working environment, pointing out the patched areas in the ceiling that leaked of water when it rains.
“If rain is falling, you cannot stay here; everywhere will be leaking,” She said.
When asked what contributions the Area Council has made so far towards helping to solve the challenges in the clinic, she stated that there has not been any substantial impact provided by the area council, saying that all her complaints have not attracted any positive response. She said she had written to the council but no actions had been taken to uplift the face of the PHC.
Danlami lamented that the PHC has not benefited from any contributions made by the council, adding that the drugs supplied to the clinic, some of which are supposed to be free, were, however, bought with her own money.
She said, “In a rural community like this, the people should be given free drugs, but they are charged and that normally discourage them from seeking medical services in this clinic.”
The CHEW is the only medical staff worker in the PHC who is the council’s payroll, apart from the only SURE-P staff who is a cleaner in the clinic, the poor staff strength in the clinic has also affected their output.
Meanwhile, she said that she normally finds it difficult working in the PHC during immunisation exercise, but disclosed that her friend whom she described as a ‘volunteer worker’ usually assists her on a personal arrangement.
The PHC, according to the CHEW, has over the years made no purchase of new medical equipments to replace the obsolete ones and this has resulted to her going on borrowing medical equipments from other PHCs in the neighbouring community.
Investigation revealed that most medical facilities in use at the clinic were procured many years ago and some of which are in bad condition.
“We don’t have good medical facilities like sphygmomanometer, equipment for measuring blood pressure especially for pregnant women. We need to know if their blood pressure is high or low before commencing antenatal on them,” she said.
Furthermore, the PHC does not function 24 hours a day as normal services are available to residents from 8am to 5pm this has left the residents with no choice than engage in self-medication mostly at night and weekends.
Checks revealed that no inspection exercise has been carried out this year on the PHC from the area council except the monthly report submitted to the council by the CHEW. Such assessment visits are meant to assess PHC’s productivity, equipments and challenges.
In addition, commenting on the most prevalent disease in the community, Danlami said that malaria has been plaguing the community resulting from poor personal and environmental hygiene.
She stated that 30 patients were treated from malaria in the month of June while seven patients have been treated so far this month, adding that most of the equipments used in her laboratory diagnosis are either borrowed or rented.
She also said that due to lack of functional laboratory equipments, the number of antenatal which was 11 in June, only four of them delivered in the clinic and the rest sought delivery either in the neighbouring community or at their homes.