Stakeholders have called on the government to establish a functional primary healthcare centre in Kobi, a suburb of Abuja, to address the pressing medical needs of residents.
The appeal was made on Saturday during a free medical outreach organised by the National Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) Democracy Radio, in partnership with Garki Hospital.
General Manager of NILDS Democracy Radio, Mrs. Uju Nwachukwu, said the outreach was part of efforts to extend services beyond the airwaves and directly impact communities. She noted that findings revealed residents of Kobi community had little or no access to basic healthcare, especially children and the elderly.
“From our findings, we know the people here face serious health challenges. That is why we partnered with Garki Hospital, which graciously sent 10 medical personnel to support this outreach,” Nwachukwu said.
She urged the Ministry of Health and other relevant authorities to prioritise rural healthcare, stressing that partnerships and collaborations were vital in bridging gaps.
Dr. Sylvester Enudi, a family physician from Garki Hospital, observed that the community was highly vulnerable to malaria, diarrhoea, poor hygiene, and malnutrition. He also warned of undetected hypertension among many residents.
“Some of them walk around with very high blood pressure, over 180/120, without knowing. They risk sudden death from stroke or heart attack because there’s no primary healthcare facility for basic checks and treatment. The consequences are grave,” he said.
The traditional ruler of Kobi, Chief Audu Kaura, expressed gratitude to the organisers, describing healthcare as the community’s biggest challenge. He noted that the only existing primary healthcare centre in the area was grossly inadequate for the over 5,000 residents.
“As you can see, we only have one primary healthcare centre serving thousands of people. How do we cope? We appeal to government to establish another, well-equipped facility here,” he said, while commending NILDS Democracy Radio and Garki Hospital for bringing relief to the community.