In a revealing post shared on social media, MonITNG detailed how the dilapidated health facility, which is supposed to serve the healthcare needs of not only Awade but also the neighbouring communities of Bakin Turu and Sabon Gari, has been reduced to a deathtrap due to government neglect and abandonment.
A civic technology platform, MonITNG, has exposed the shocking and deplorable condition of the only Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Awade, a rural community in the Augie Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
In a revealing post shared on social media, MonITNG detailed how the dilapidated health facility, which is supposed to serve the healthcare needs of not only Awade but also the neighbouring communities of Bakin Turu and Sabon Gari, has been reduced to a deathtrap due to government neglect and abandonment.
According to the platform, the health centre, which is meant to provide primary healthcare services to over 2,600 residents in the area, currently lacks basic medical equipment, hospital beds, water supply, electricity, and essential drugs.
Pregnant women, children, and elderly patients are forced to receive treatment on bare floors in an environment riddled with hazards.
“The roof is badly damaged, allowing rain to flood treatment rooms, and parts of the ceiling have collapsed. Patients and health workers alike are at risk every time they step into the building. The structure has become a symbol of abandonment rather than care,” MonITNG stated.
Photographs from the site show a structure that has not only deteriorated physically but also symbolically represents the government’s total disregard for the health and well-being of its rural citizens.
“Inside, there are no hospital beds or basic medical equipment. Patients including pregnant women and the elderly are treated on the bare floor. There’s no running water, no electricity, and no essential drugs. Health workers do their best, but their hands are tied by the overwhelming lack of support and tools,” it said.
“The human impact is heartbreaking. Residents of Awade, Bakin Turu, and Sabon Gari must travel long distances they can barely afford or simply suffer at home without care. Children go untreated, women deliver in unsafe conditions, and preventable deaths continue in silence.”
The group further lamented the dire human impact of this negligence, noting that residents of Awade and surrounding communities are often left with no choice but to endure long, costly journeys in search of healthcare or resign themselves to untreated illnesses.
“Children go untreated, women deliver in unsafe conditions, and preventable deaths continue in silence,” the report highlighted.
Calling on the Kebbi State Government, the Augie LGA authorities, and relevant health stakeholders, MonITNG stressed that healthcare is a fundamental right, not a privilege, and urged immediate intervention to rehabilitate and properly equip the Awade PHC.
The group’s appeal also tagged Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, as part of its campaign to draw urgent attention to the healthcare crisis crippling rural communities in Kebbi State.
“We urgently call on the Kebbi State Government, Augie LGA authorities, and health stakeholders to prioritise the rehabilitation and proper equipping of Awade PHC. Healthcare is a basic right, not a luxury and these communities cannot be left behind,” the platform added.
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