By Emiola Osifeso
A disturbing video has laid bare the appalling state of healthcare delivery in Kebbi State, as footage shows an elderly patient lying helplessly on a hospital bed with no mattress, no bedsheet, and no pillow, just the bare iron frame.
The viral clip, which has triggered outrage, captures the grim reality of a General Hospital in the state, where basic medical facilities are either absent or in disrepair. A voice in the video laments:
โIn this hospital, there are many things wrong and very frustrating. They claim to be providing healthcare services, yet the reality tells a different story. Imagine an elderly man lying on a sickbed with no mattress, no bedsheet, and no pillow โ just the bare iron frame. It is deeply upsetting and unacceptable.โ
The incident underscores the chronic shortage of essentials such as mattresses, beds, and critical medical equipment, leaving patients in degrading and inhumane conditions. Residents have described the situation as โcriminal neglectโ on the part of the government, insisting that healthcare delivery in Kebbi has collapsed into near total rot.
This comes months after similar reports of neglect surfaced. Back in February, a SaharaReporters investigation revealed that doctors and nurses in Kangiwa Arewa, Dandi Local Government Area, were not only battling to save lives but also struggling to survive in their own dilapidated staff quarters. The housing units, plagued by collapsed ceilings, cracked walls, and snake infestations, forced many healthcare professionals to abandon the community.
โImagine being a doctor, coming home after a long shift, and finding a snake in your room,โ Mohammed Ali, a long-time resident, said at the time. โWho would want to stay and work under these conditions?โ
Civic technology platform Monitng has repeatedly warned that the neglect of the staff quarters has created a dual crisis โ one of poor housing for medical workers and another of reduced access to healthcare for residents, who often wait longer for doctors to arrive from distant towns.
For residents like nursing mother Hadizat Bala, the situation is a matter of life and death:
โWhen my baby had a fever in the middle of the night, I rushed to the hospital, but the doctor had to come from another town. It felt like the longest wait of my life. If they lived closer, things would be different.โ
Beyond the structural collapse, the staff quarters also lack electricity, sanitation, and security, worsening the exodus of medical workers from rural communities and further weakening Kebbiโs already fragile healthcare system.
Healthcare workers and residents are now demanding urgent government intervention.
According to Monitngโs founder, Ilevbaoje Uadamen:
โWe cannot expect healthcare workers to perform at their best when they donโt even have a safe place to live. It is time for the authorities to take responsibility and prioritise the renovation of these quarters. A functional healthcare system starts with ensuring that those who provide care are themselves cared for.โ
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