Wase residents lament deplorable healthcare condition, others due to gov’t negligence
Story from Yakubu VENTIM, Jos
Residents of Wase Local Government Council of Plateau State have decried the poor delivery of health care services, lack of medication as many patients don’t have beds when admitted to the deplorable Primary Health Care Centres in the community.
According to source, over 5,000 residents have been denied access to good healthcare, education, and clean water as the members of the state assembly and representative are busy overheating political matters.
Information made available to Neptune Prime correspondent revealed that four hundred children are currently receiving lesson under inhumane condition, while the health centre is nothing to write home about.
Similarly, in Suku community of Wase LGA, over 5,000 residents do not have access to basic life amenities, healthcare and water inclusive. Suku is the oldest community in Kadarko District of Wase LGA, where most of the residents are illiterates and solely engage in farming to survive.
The only Primary Health centre in Suku is merely a building with a roof and suffered challenges of political sideline as there are no beds, no drugs or equipment to treat snakes bite, or to contain any disease outbreak.
The hygiene is very poor in the health centres as there are no toilets or bathrooms for convenience, especially with the outbreak of covid-19. The staff must improvise with the available resources and sometimes purchase medications for patients.
Speaking about the situation, the Wazirin Suku who lamented government’s insensitivity to the plight of the vulnerable people, said they can’t afford clean drinking water or enrol their children to acquire western education inorder to help them achieve their goals in life.
“The PHC built by the Local Government has nothing at all. Even the mat and table in the PHC belongs to the Chief (i.e. Sarki). The staff of the PHC always purchase drugs and other medications that are given to patients.
The government did not provide anything to carter for the plight of the people here, we are neglected and forgotten by those in power.”
“We have presented our requests to the LGA Chairman and other politicians on several occasions, yet the story remain the same, our people are dying of pandemics during dry season but government isn’t concerned to provide the amenities and all our efforts are in vain.
The community has also been without clean water for many years, so the residents had to take matters into their own hands two years ago when they saw no help was coming. According to them, the community head, Sarki took the bold step to organise the people to contribute money to dig boreholes.
“Before, we went as far as 22 kilometres from SUKU to Wase to fetch water. It was not until 2019 that my people contributed some money and dug two boreholes.” he said.
In Takalafiya community, also in Wase LGA, the people contributed their resources to build two classrooms at the dilapidated LEA Primary School, Takalafiya. But two classrooms cannot house over four hundred pupils.
The entire school is in terrible condition as there are no windows, roofs, or furniture. The pupils have to learn in an open field, affecting learning during rainy and dry seasons.
“There are over four hundred pupils in the school, and they have to manage in terrible conditions. Whenever it rains, we have to move all of them to the two classrooms that were built by the community because the other classes don’t have roofs.
“The government should help us build new classrooms, the current situation is terrible, and our children are suffering just because they want to learn. This is unfair.” said Mallam Biyu, a father of one of the pupils in the school.
The communities in Wase appealed to Governor of Plateau state Simon Lalong, Senator Prof. Nora Ladi Daduut, Honourable Ahmed Idris Wase representing the constituency and also the Deputy Speaker in the House of Representatives, the LGA Chairman, Dr Abubakar Ado Buba, and other relevant stakeholders to provide quality healthcare and education to Takalafiya and Suku communities in Wase Local Government.
