Martins Ifijeh
The Lagos State Ministry of Health has stated that the long abandoned Zion Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Orile area of Apapa, has been resuscitated and repositioned to provide primary healthcare services for residents of the communities around it.
Stating this during a visit to the PHC, the General Secretary, Lagos State Social Mobilisation Committee, Ministry of Health, Mr. Adebisi Adeniyi, said the PHC has been revamped to reduce maternal and child deaths, provide health talk, routine immunisation, counselling for family planning, among others.
While noting that the facility was abandoned years ago, he said since last year, it has been put in place for proper functioning and there was need for members of the communities around to take advantage of the face-lift.
“We are happy that since the face-lift, people now come here for various primary healthcare needs. We urge those who have not taken advantage of this in the area to do so. We have registered nurses working and taking good care of the people. There is security, running water and other things that will make the place function well,” he added.
Meawhile, the Senior Nursing Sister, and the Officer in Charge of the PHC, Mrs. AmosaToyin, said before, the highest attendance of patients was about 10 per day, but that it has now tremendously increased to about 55 persons every day.
“Among other things, we do delivery, which occurs during the day because we don’t run 24 hours. For those who need services at night, we refer them to the Olojowon PHC. Once they have their cards, Olojowon PHC will accommodate them because we work hand in hand. In a situation where there are complications, we send for ambulance and then take them to the General Hospital at Ajeromi, Ajegunle in Apapa,” she said.
However, she noted that the PHC was short of staff considering the number of people accessing the centre for health needs.
She said one of the major challenges they were having in the centre was that the residents believe in Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA). “In fact, we have about three TBAs surrounding us. If you go to their clinic now, you may see hundreds of ANC patients. Even some that registered with us, by the time they want to deliver, they will go back there but when the problem comes, that is when they will come back here.
