Pasepa PHC is dilapidated due to years of neglect, residents lament

The Primary Healthcare Centre, Pasepa is in decrepit condition due to years of neglect.    Some residents of Pasepa, a community in Bwari Area Council said they are scared of taking sick people to the primary healthcare centre (PHC) because they may get worse than they were.  They said the PHC roof leaks thereby making it […]

The Primary Healthcare Centre, Pasepa is in decrepit condition due to years of neglect.   

Some residents of Pasepa, a community in Bwari Area Council said they are scared of taking sick people to the primary healthcare centre (PHC) because they may get worse than they were. 

They said the PHC roof leaks thereby making it difficult for the health workers to attend to them during wet season while when it doesn’t rain sunlight disturbs them.

They said the centre also lacks potable water and sick people are made to engage in open defecation due to poor toilet facilities.

A resident, Mohammed Ibrahim, said the centre has not been renovated for more than four years while the only health worker posted to the place do ‘skeletal’ job.

He said the dilapidated healthcare centre also serves Zhiko and other communities.

Ibrahim said due to the state of the centre and the epileptic services offered by the demoralized staff, residents are reluctant to patronise the centre but few residents can afford going to the hospital in Sabon Wuse or Bwari town.

He said the unhygienic water the residents drink also increase their visitation to the centre because water borne diseases are rampant in the community.

“We often have infections from the stream water we drink because cattle pollute the stream.

“There is clinic here but no staff and drugs. Health worker close by 2.00p.m.because she stays in Sabon Wuse and she doesn’t come on weekends,” he said.

He said pregnant women in the community rely on traditional birth attendants while during complications they are taken on motorcycle to Sabon Wuse, “but many of them are delivered of their babies at home,” he emphasized.

There was no health worker at the centre when our reporter visited but a volunteer who would not want to be named said the health workers buy some drugs with the money realized from the patients.

He said the move became necessary to address some emergency situation and provide first aid before patients are referred to General Hospital, Bwari.

He said he has been running the centre since the health worker posted by the area council government has proceeded on her maternity leave.