Patients groan as primary healthcare collapses in A’Ibom

Akwa Ibom State government has taken some far-reaching measures to rescue the collapsing healthcare infrastructure in public hospitals in the state, following the rise in infants and maternal deaths in most government-owned health centres in the state.

Checks by Nigerian Tribune revealed appalling state of facilities in most primary health care centres across the 31 local government areas.

At Etim Ekpo Local Government, medics complained of absence of basic facilities and shortage of drugs to take care of pregnant women and treatment of some major childhood ailments including whopping cough, malaria, and yellow fever, among others.

“We cannot take care of even less complicated cases here because of lack of facilities and basic drugs and we have in most cases, sent them to referral hospitals in Abak,” a senior nursing officer, who would not want her name in print, lamented at Etim Ekpo Health Centre.