Gov Fubara Thumbs Up Own Scorecard as Locals Groan Over Healthcare Challenges

By George OPARA, Port Harcourt

Amid healthcare challenges plaguing most rural communities of Rivers state, Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, Tuesday vowed to provide quality medical services across board.

He also affirmed that his administration has embarked on policies and programmes capable of guaranteeing affordable and efficient healthcare services to the people and resident of the state.

The governor made the declarations in his goodwill message to mark 2026 World Health Day in portHarcourt, capital of the state.

But Spear News investigations indicated that most hinterlands of the state do not have functional medical facilities. Random findings even showed that the people and residents of Elele Alimini, a suburb of the metropolis, for years have been surviving without any functional healthcare services, particularly the community’s General Hospital built over the years has been in comatose shortly after it was commissioned.

The most affected in the community are nonage, pregnant women, nursing mothers and the old men and women who have no option but to travel long distances for medical care.

Many residents, it was learnt, go to faraway Ahoada and Choba towns, about 9 and 27 kilometers from the community to access medical facilities.

Probably unaware of the healthcare challenges in the hinterlands, Fubara said he had planned the state to be a medical tourist hub and reeled out his achievements in the health sector to include a recruitment of over 2,000 health workers, upgrading many health facilities and procurement of a health insurance scheme to increase access to health care services.

Fubara added that he had revived and expanded zonal hospitals in Bori, Omoku, Ahoada and Degema.

Other achievements are the remodeling of 153 primary healthcare centres, promotion of about 400 staff of the Rivers state Teaching Hospital and additional recruitment of 500 health workers to boost capacity.

But the Elele-Alimini monarch, Eze Peter Wagbara and elder Hyginus Okpakah when grilled separately, described the healthcare situation in their community as pitiable. Wagbar said the medical facility has long been abandoned without government intervention.