For the people of Bende local government area of Abia state, health care is strictly for the rich.
The Abia state Specialist Hospital, Umunnato Alayi in Bende local government area has been in comatose for as long as 1986.
WITHIN NIGERIA findings showed that the hospital was built in 1982 by Dr. Sam Mbakwe administration. Few years after the hospital collapsed, leading to the difficulty in accessing healthcare in the area.
When our reporter visited the hospital, it was gathered that the premises has been taken over by big grasses and grasses. It has also become an abode for dangerous reptiles and criminal hideout.
James Mmadukwe is a resident of the community. He told our reporter that the community has been in total denial of the facility for the past four decades.
“For decades now, Bende General hospital has become a source of campaign object during general elections in this country.
“Again, every successive administration has also promised us that they will reconstruct the moribund hospital, all to no avail.
“We are appealing to the state governor, Dr. Alex Otti to come to our aid and reconstruct this hospital. This is because this hospital is very crucial to the community in particular and Abia state in general.”
However, one of the former staff of the hospital who spoke to our reporter under anonymity explained that the hospital has played a very vital role in the health sector of the state.
” I was posted to the hospital before my retirement. That time, the hospital played a very vital role in the state’s health sector. Many residents who would have gone to Umuahia for healthcare usually came to the hospital for health assistance.
“I am here appealing to the state governor to see that he reconstructs this hospital so as to ease their request to access healthcare.”
Abia state government speaks
In any case, Commissioner for Health in Abia State, Enoch Ogbonnaya-Uche, recently enumerated the health projects in the state.
According to him, the state government has shown special interest and commitment to healthcare delivery in the state, which according to him, has led to the upgrading of medical and health facilities across the state.
Mr Ogbonnaya-Uche, listed some of the projects in the health sector, including the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, the Abia State Specialist Hospital, and the ongoing upgrade of Amachara General Hospital to a specialist hospital.
According to him, others were the ongoing upgrade of the Umunnato General Hospital to a specialist hospital, the ongoing reconstruction of seven general hospitals across the state, the rehabilitation and functionalisation of three cottage hospitals across Aba, Umuahia and Nkporo and the retrofitting of Primary Healthcare Centres across the 184 electoral wards in the state, among other medical interventions.
One of the health officials of the state government Ferdinand Ekeoma told WITHIN NIGERIA that “His Excellency Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, will be Flagging off the Construction of the Abia State Specialist Hospital Umunnato Alayi in Bende LGA.
“We are happy that after almost 40 years of abandonment and deterioration, Governor Otti has yielded himself to be used by God to wipe the tears of our people and rewrite our history.”
