Seven Years After, Multi-Million Mother And Child Hospital Abandoned In Jalingo
The Muhammadu Buhari Mother and Child Hospital, located in Wuro Sembe, Kachala ward of Jalingo Local Government Area in Taraba State, has been abandoned since its completion in 2018. This unutilized facility has raised concerns about the rising rates of maternal and child mortality in the state, as residents continue to travel long distances to access quality healthcare.
The hospital, funded by the Federal Government through the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs), was intended to be an 80-bed facility equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment.
The facility was designed to feature two operating theatres, recovery rooms, private and general wards, a scanning room, consultation rooms, and a laboratory. It was also supposed to be outfitted with an ultra-scan machine, a vacuum extractor delivery set, and an emergency cart with all necessary supplies.
According to Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, the hospital was meant to address the high prevalence of maternal and child mortality in Nigeria, aligning with the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 3, which focuses on ensuring "quality health and well-being for all." Despite the grand ambitions, the hospital has never been operational.
Residents of WuroSembe and surrounding areas have expressed frustration over the facility's prolonged abandonment.
Taraba Truth abd Facts Newspaper gathered that the project has not been handed over to the state government or any other institution to manage, which has stalled its commissioning and usage in the last seven years.
Health experts believe that the lack of accessible healthcare services in the area is contributing to a rise in preventable deaths, particularly among women and children.
Data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2021 reveals that Taraba State has one of the highest rates of infant mortality in Nigeria and ranks among the top states with the largest number of women who do not attend ante-natal care visits.
Mr Aliyu Magaji, a public health practitioner in the state lamented that similar Mother and Child Centers in other states have since been put to use but the one in Taraba state is abandoned.
He said the completion of the Muhammadu Buhari Mother and Child Hospital was seen as a potential lifeline to reduce these alarming statistics, but with its doors still firmly closed, many residents are left with no choice but to travel long distances to access healthcare.
Aliyu said a critical healthcare facility in a region where maternal and child health issues are pressing is a severe blow to the people of Jalingo and surrounding areas. With rising mortality rates and no nearby medical care options, the community is left in a state of medical crisis.
A visit to the facility by a reporter from Taraba Truth and FactNewspaper revealed that the premises were overrun with grasses, and the hospital's doors were locked. Only two guards were on duty, and there were no medical staff or other personnel in sight. The absence of medical equipment, which was supposed to be provided by the contractor, MESSR THE CORREDOOR BUSINESS NETWORK LTD, has left the facility completely unusable.
A local resident, Mallam Ibrahim, expressed his dismay at the lack of progress, citing the absence of a formal commissioning and the critical lack of medical equipment. "This hospital has been lying desolate for nearly eight years," he said. "People are dying because we have no access to healthcare in this area, our women are used to giving birth at home which usually resulted to severe complications.
"Those who are lucky are forced to travel long distances to other hospitals. In fact, over 11 people from this community have already died while trying to get medical care from distant hospitals."
Ibrahim called on the local government and relevant authorities to take action, urging the Ward Councilor and the Council Chairman to work together to make the hospital operational. He said, with tears in his eyes, that the deaths of those residents could have been prevented if the hospital were open.
Another resident, Jauro Saliu Kachala, called on political leaders such as Hon Sadiq Tafida, the Member representing Zing, Yorro, and Jalingo Federal Constituency, and Hon. Uba Mairiga, a Member of the Taraba State House of Assembly, to intervene and ensure that the Muhammadu Buhari Mother and Child Hospital is commissioned and made available for use.
Isa Bobo, another local resident, criticized the silence of government officials and local leaders, stating, "We have top government functionaries who are capable of liaising with both the Federal and State Governments to see that this project is commissioned, but they are doing nothing. It feels as if they do not care about their people because they could afford medical treatments outside the state."
Another residents of Wuro Sembe Mallam Ayuba Gulus urged the Taraba State Governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, to intervene and ensure the Muhammadu Buhari Mother and Child Hospital becomes operational so that the community can finally benefit from access to quality healthcare.
"Aside from using the hospital, if this place is working it would create jobs for our people. Imagine the effect of this big hospital to us in this area."
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