Kogi State House of Assembly member representing Igalamela-Odolu Constituency, Barr. Cosmas Ilemona Atabor has called on the state government to establish a primary healthcare centre at Oko-Akpa Ajitata area of Igalamela/Odolu local government area.
Hon. Atabor made the call via a motion he moved on Tuesday on the floor of the House.
In his motion, Hon. Atabor stated that “a section of my constituency comprising a cluster of communities, namely: Oko-Akpa Ajitata, Ojiama, Achejuenwu, Ofe-Agba, Ogichi, Ojiama, Ojiapata and Etitu-Owe is today without a primary health care centre to cater for a population of over eighteen thousand people.
“To assess health care services, my constituents in these communities would have to travel for about 84 km to attend a General Hospital at Idah or about 32km to attend a Cottage Hospital at Egabada in Odolu.
“Whereas, communities concerned require the basic and minimum health care facilities and services such as primary health care which is the first level of contact between individuals, families or communities and the healthcare system geared towards health promotion, illness prevention, antenatal and postnatal care, child and family health, treatment and care of sick people, among other healthcare and services.”
He also emphasised that “the only available health facility nearest to these communities is located at Egabada, a primary health care facility with only two nurses and a visiting doctor that comes once in a week. The Primary Healthcare Centre can hardly treat patients for urgent appointments, apply and remove casts, provide sutural dressings and perform outreach services as home assessment for the elderly because the nurses are not only inundated with a preponderance of patients to attend to but the requisite facilities with which to cater and provide healthcare services to the people are grossly inadequate.
“My constituents, therefore, have no option other than to cover the distances to receive health care. Lives have been known to have been lost in cases of emergency.”
Speaking further, Hon. Atabor stressed the importance of a viable health sector to socio-economic development and peaceful existence.” I, therefore, call upon this honourable House in prayers, and as a matter of necessity, to consider and resolve positively as follows: that an appeal be conveyed to the State Government to establish a Primary Healthcare Centre in Oko-Akpa Ajitata, centrally located amongst the deprived communities to ensure adequate health care delivery to the people who inhabit the area.
“That further appeal be conveyed urging the State Ministry of Health to post a minimum of two additional nurses and a permanent resident doctor to the Primary Healthcare Centre at Egabada in Igalamela/Odolu Local Government Area of Kogi State to enhance adequate health care and services to the people,” he added.
