Otutu community to Kogi state government: We need healthcare centre

By Correspondent in Okene

In dire need of a community healthcare centre for effective health care delivery system,the people of Otutu community in Okene local government area of Kogi State have called on the state government to provide them with Primary Health Care centre

The community made the call during the town hall meeting organized by an NGO, Connected Development (CODE), with members of the community on the COVID-19 Transparency and Accountability (CTAP).

The The Reporters gathered that CTAP project is aimec at tracking the state of Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and vaccination distribution in Nigeria.

The leader of the community, Mal. Yaqub Isaq-Awihi,said the community seriously needed such health facility, being members of the community, expressing concern that people of the area used to trek some kilometers to the council headquarters before they could access medical care.

Yaqub said since the withdrawal of medical personnel from the building provided by the community for such purpose some years back, the community had to grapple with such challenges in accessing medical care.

He expressed the readiness of the community to provide building for a start-up of such health centre, pending when the state government would provide a befitting structure for such function.

He said though there was a private health centre in the community, the complexity and intrigues sorrounding the centre has made it unaccessible for the community.

Earlier, the State Focal Person for the CODE CTAP programme, Mr Umar DanAsebe Muhammed,said the visit was to track and verify the state of primary health centres and institutions across the state and ensure the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines through those centres.

He expressed optimism that the program would help put government on toes,on the need to see that money budgeted and release for construction of primary health care service and COVID-19 vaccination are expended for the purpose intended.

Mr. Umar said that the visit would also help to get commitment from the local and government personnel in the health sector to be alive to their duties and be committed in providing the best service delivery to the rural people.

“We want to get answer as to weather the funds and infrastructure that have been donated to communities in state, particularly at the grassroots level, actually get to the community,” he said.

According to Umar, the group also monitored donations for low-income communities and for transparency by getting in contact with those communities, to see if such infrastructure or funds were utilized as claimed by the government.

“We also visit these communities in the state, based on the information we get about the state of primary health centres, so that we can be able to demand accountability from the government or agency involved.

“We are primarily concerned about transparency and accountability,”he added.