On a Saturday morning at about 6 am of the 9th of December 2017, a very close friend of mine from Abocho in Dekina Local Government called me and gave me the good news. His wife has been delivered of a bouncing baby girl though, through the local midwives. “This is my last child”, he said to me repeatedly. I was so elated with the news. It brightened my day.
He called again at about 12pm of the same day and told me he had lost the baby. He narrated how the baby died due to lack of proper medical health care in his community. The baby was diagnosed with jaundice which is common with newborns and can be treated.
Sometimes in January, I was told of how a young boy of 5 years died in Odu Ogboyaga a community in Odu ward 1 from malaria complications. The father had no money to take him to a private hospital in Anyigba. Malaria is a common ailment that can be treated with a single dose of an Anti malaria drug.
A woman from Iyale still in Dekina was heavily pregnant and was about to give birth. She was being rushed to Anyigba for delivery. I was told she died on the way due to delays in accessing quick medical health care.
In Dekina, almost all the Public Health Facilities are in Comatose. There are no Functional Primary Health Care Centers in our communities to cater for the basic health needs of our people. Patients seeking medical attention from the 12 wards of Dekina local government need to travel all the way to Anyigba to access health care. Even in Anyigba, only the private hospitals ie. Grimand and Good shepherd are functional and are far beyond the financial reach of the very poor in our communities.
The role of Primary health Care center cannot be over emphasized. It helps to take care of the basic health needs of our people in their various communities without them needing to travel far distances. The boy of 5 years from Ogboyaga would not have died if there was a functional primary health care center in his community. The pregnant woman from Iyale would have been a proud mother today. she would have no need to travel to Anyigba for her delivery which led to her death.
Almost on a daily basis our people die for lack of proper medical health care. Everywhere you go, you hear words like “Ileku”(in translation, means dead), 8 days prayer, 10 days prayer, 30 days prayer etc. people die from common ailments that can be prevented or better still, effectively treated.
I visited one of the Public Hospitals in Anyigba and I almost wept. Common drugs like Anti malaria and Panadol were not available in the hospital. I make bold to say that; this is the same situation in almost all the public health care facilities in Dekina, patient buy common drugs from chemist to get treated. The Environment smells as if rats deliberately go there to die. This is one of the reasons why a lot of people have taken to self-medication.
The politicians in Dekina derived pleasure in commissioning fathom project that have no bearing on the lives of our people. The people on the other hand do not demand their rights from these politicians probably because of their level of education. They are forced to follow them because of the abject poverty they experience in their homes.
This is one of the reasons amongst others I am running for the office of the House of Representatives to represent Dekina / Bassa Federal Constituency in the green chambers.
I once had the privilege to travel to Kebbi State to visit a friend. On my way to his village I noticed several white buildings along the road with the inscription ““Courtesy Hon Abdullahi” I wondered what this white buildings where. In my inquisitive state I stopped to see, I was amazed to realize that all the white buildings I have being seeing on the road were primary health care centre fully equipped and built by the Honourable member representing the constituency in the Federal House of Representatives. My question to all of us reading this piece is Can you find One in Dekina?
What we find in Dekina are situations where politicians are waiting for crisis to happen so they can play very cheap politics of donating idomine, local Rice and Elubo (cassava flour).
Money from Constituency allowance can be used to build at least one Functional Primary health Care Center in each ward of Dekina Local Government. It may interest you to know that Primary health care centers don’t cost much to build and operate.
There are lots of donor agencies whose thematic area of references are in the health sector i.e. ActionAid , UNICEF, DFID, Leprosy Mission, Chains, SFH etc. These various donor agencies carry out health programs and support local communities in the areas of health. I have seen them working in various communities in Nigeria through their elected representatives. Why have we not seen any of them working in Dekina? Don’t our people need their support?
I believe with the wealth of experience I have gathered over the years in my professional career both home and abroad, I will be able to bring soothing relief to our people as it relates to Quality Basic Health Care.
Using my high level connections in the international community having been Once a Senior Special Assistance to a Minister of foreign Affairs, I can attract donor agencies to support and improve the already bad condition of health facilities and services in Dekina Local Government.
Please join me in the coming days, weeks and months as I advocate and support quality basic health care for our communities in Dekina local government.
In conclusion, it is important we highlight the burning issues in our local government to awaken the consciousness of government at all levels to their sworn responsibilities to our people.
Long Live Kogi State, Long live Dekina Local Government.
For Man and Society,
– Sanni Idakwo Philips is a House of Representative Aspirant for Dekina / Bassa Federal Constituency.
