Ogbe -Ijoh Community laments absence of permanent health centre; workers

Ogbe ijoh Community, is the Headquarters of Warri South Local Government Area. It is about 10 minutes drive from Warri by boat.

The  residents have not found live easy due to lack of health care workers in the area.. The recurring communal crisis has not helped matters as they have been facing unresolved communal crisis over the years.

One of the residents, Alfred Koremene, Zonal Chairman who has lived in the Community, for many years spoke to PEBNEWS. 

He said:." Our concern is Ogbe ijoh health center. For the whole week nurses work only on Thursdays thereafter, we do not see any other medical personnel to attend to patients. This is why people affected by illness die easily.

Going memory lane, he recounted a recent incident that claimed the live of a pregnant woman He said:". "there was a day when a pregnant woman wanted to give birth in the night and there was nobody in the health center, so they rushed her to a patent medicine store ,and the woman in the store could not take care of the situation, so the pregnant woman died"

On her  part, Chief Rose Dunokoromor, a woman leader of the community expressed sadness at the situation facing them at the health centre. She said; ."Government do well for health centre but the issue inside be say, only on Thursday dem they go work, any emergency, we nor dey see nurse to attend to pregnant women wey belle dey pain for night. When a pregnant women reach there, no nurse to deliver them. so government na problem we dey for this place. Anytime pregnant woman won deliver for night or person sick we go find way carry am go warri, all those things na suffer we dey".

For the residents losing their loved ones due to lack of health care workers is a painful process and they appeal to the government health centre to run 24 hours service "So we appeal to Delta State Government to think about it, make Government bring nurses wen go work every day even for night in the health center" One of the residents who did not want his name in print said.

Yet, another restaurant who identified himself  Collins Agadeis, said:" "The health centre was working fine but the only problem is the nurses are not staying here, so from 4pm on Thursday, we don't   have anyone to attend to us".
According to Agadeis the women have no choice but patronise   traditional child delivery home as an option now.

He said:" "My grandchild gave birth to twins recently, we could not use the health centre because it was night, we took her to traditional baby delivery home".

On his part, Scholastica Paul, a nursing mother told PEBNEWS Correspondent  how disappointed  she felt with the situation at the health centre.

She said: "Nurses nor dey attend to pregnant women and children on Thursday, for some times, if we go, dem go say no drugs , so our health centre nor dey exist".

Some other residents in Ogbe-Ijoh Community said  lthe condition at the health centre is the same in all the riverine ijaw Communities in Delta State.

The lack of medical personnel at the health centre is worrisome and Koremene appealed to Government's  intervention. "we are pleading to the government, One of the residents who did not want his  name in print said: We appeal to Governor to make nurses available  morning, afternoon and in the night so that we can run to them anytime we have a case 

We use this medium to appeal to the incoming local government Chairman to reach out to the Governor of Delta State so that they bring permanent workers".

*Alternative lodging places for the nurses is welcomed, Agadeis suggested" if it is to arrange a place for them to stay, we beg Government to at least, get an apartment for one or two nurses to stay at night so that when emergency occurs,  we will have a place to run to".