Katakpa is a rural farming community in Lapai Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State. Due to years of neglect, the only health facility in the community is now barely functional.
Mohammed Shuaibu, a community member said, “there are no health workers here. They left because according to them they were not being paid salaries. We used to contribute money to pay them something but now we cannot. The facility is also completely dilapidated due to lack of maintenance.”
He added that community members now travel long distances to other towns and villages to access healthcare, which is a burden on them. “We have lost many lives in the process,” he said.
Abdullahi Mohammed, another community member, said staff shortage is just one of the many challenges in the health facility as the building, furniture and equipment are either broken or in a bad state of disrepair. The compound is also overrun with grass and weeds. Mohammed added that poor working conditions, the absence of a staff quarters and lack of basic amenities like portable water contributed to the health workers abandoning the facility.
Katakpa community members can no longer sit and watch their fellow community members die due to lack of access to quality and affordable healthcare. They are therefore crying out to Lapai local government officials and the Niger State government to,
- Complete renovation of Katakpa health facility
- Provide the necessary equipment for the health facility
- Build staff quarters for the health workers posted to the facility
- Recruit and deploy health workers to the facility, and pay their entitlements
- Provide portable water for the health facility and the community