Residents Lament Over Poor State of Enuwa Primary Healthcare Centre

Residents of Enuwa community in Ile-Ife who patronize the primary health centre have cried out over lack of basic medical equipment. This has denied them the expected benefits of the provision of primary health centres by the governent.

CAMPUS REPORTER’s investigation revealed that Enuwa Primary Health Centre, Ile-Ife, which was commissioned in 1959 to render services to humanity has become a refuge for teeming numbers of pregnant women who are not buoyant enough to attend private hospitals.

The Primary Health Centre lacks basic facilities such as an ambulance for emergency services, electricity, good water supply, drip stands, usable toilets and even adequate staff.

One of the residents of the community, Kazeem Sunmonu narrating his ordeal to CAMPUS REPORTER said over the years, patients who visit the health centre are exposed to dangerous health situations.

“The maternity is left with facilities that date back to the 90s with inadequate man power to oversee delivery. My wife was left in cold to deliver in an airtight foam used as mattress. While my wife was in the pit called labour room, I had to help one of the patients walk far distance to get water for sanitation and drinking because the primary health centre lacks that”, he said.

Mrs. Kikelomo Owoseni, one of the patients also said that the primary health centre had denied residents from having a befitting treatment when sick.

“The rich will rather go to private hospitals but the poor are left here in dilapidated building. We hope the government will listen to our cry and make the health centre befitting for residents.”

Another resident who identified herself as Bukky Iyiola said that a good primary health centre has lot of positive impact on citizens while a poor health care centre has lot of harm to cause those in the grassroots.

“The Primary Health Centre has failed to meet the primary health of Enuwa residents. We now prefer self-medication to visiting the health centre.”

CAMPUS REPORTER also gathered that the facility experiences leakages during rainfall. Also it was revealed that there are no security guards to keep watch over the premises during day and night.

However, the residents called on government to solve the problem affecting the state of the primary health centre by initiating a general renovation.

Babatunde Sumisola was quoted saying: “we will appreciate if the government and other community leaders can help to confront the challenges facing the health centre. Health is indeed wealth”, he pleaded.