Justin Tyopuusu
The fast-growing population in Taraba State is overstretching the ill-equipped primary healthcare centres, leaving poor residents, especially those in rural areas to resort to herbal medicine, JUSTIN TYOPUUSU writes
It has been more than four months since Terver Yaornyi lost his loving wife, but the circumstances surrounding her death have remained fresh and horrifying in his memory.
“More than three months after I lost my wife who died during labour, I am still traumatised. My wife started labour around 11 pm on January 3, 2024, and because there is currently a ban on the use of motorcycles. At that time, there was no vehicle around to convey her to Peva, the nearby town in the Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State, so I resorted to conveying her in a wheelbarrow.
“Midway into the journey which is approximately 35 kilometres, my wife breathed her last. She died while trying to bring life into the world,” Yaornyi told Saturday PUNCH as he sobbed.
The widower’s story is similar to that of a widow, Mrs Shiminenge Pinga, whose daughter, Judith Iyorpenda, died at a local private hospital near Adu village, in the Chanchanji district of Takum Local Government Area in an attempt to have her twins delivered.
“My daughter is gone! She had been having miscarriages, so she decided to come and stay with me pending when she had her babies, but now she is no more.
“She had successfully had the first baby, but the second baby could not come out. We called for help from a private healthcare worker, but he didn’t know what to do. She eventually died helplessly,” she said.
Maternal mortality has dotted the landscape of rural communities in Taraba characterised by its rich cultural heritage and predominantly rural population. Beneath the serene facade of ‘Nature’s Gift to the Nation’ lies a pressing issue that plagues its rural communities – poor medical infrastructure.
As the heartbeat of any healthcare system, adequate infrastructure is crucial for providing timely and effective healthcare services to the populace. Yet, in Taraba’s rural areas, the lack of relevant medical facilities, and healthcare professionals has taken a heavy toll on the residents, exacerbating their already challenging living conditions.
Rural communities in the state grapple with numerous health challenges, ranging from infectious diseases to maternal and child health issues.
With its huge landmass, accessing quality healthcare services is a luxury rather than a basic right for many residents due to the dire state of medical infrastructure. This has surged the patronage of local herbal medicine practitioners by residents across most rural communities.
A resident from Gashaka, Mr Umar Abdullahi, said the use of local herbs was common to residents due to their affordability and ease of access.
“Since accessing medical care in government hospitals is a big challenge because of the lack of drugs and personnel, many of us now use herbal medicine; it is cheaper, safer, and more efficient. Growing up in the 1970s, we didn’t know about hospitals, so some of us are used to it (using herbs),” he said.
One of the primary manifestations of poor medical infrastructure in rural areas is inadequate basic healthcare centres and the poor state of existing ones, leaving residents with no choice but to rely on traditional healers or travel long distances to urban centres for medical attention.
Moreover, the few existing healthcare facilities located in each of the 168 electoral wards of the state are often ill-equipped, lacking essential medical supplies, diagnostic tools, and medications, further hindering the delivery of adequate healthcare services.
A Public Affairs Analyst, Mr Henry Torkuma, in a chat with our correspondent, said in addition to inadequate infrastructure, Taraba’s rural communities suffered from a severe shortage of healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and midwives.
“Many healthcare workers prefer to practice in urban areas or migrate abroad in search of better opportunities, leaving rural health facilities understaffed and overburdened. Consequently, residents face prolonged wait times, reduced access to specialised care, and limited treatment options, all of which contribute to preventable morbidity and mortality rates.
“The inadequacy of medical infrastructure in Taraba’s rural communities has dire consequences for maternal and child health,” he said.
Torkuma also said pregnant women often lacked access to skilled birth attendants and emergency obstetric care, increasing the risk of maternal and neonatal complications.
According to him, the shortage of skilled birth attendants, including midwives and obstetricians, further compounds the problem as women often give birth at home without the assistance of trained professionals, leading to preventable complications and deaths.
He further said the absence of well-equipped neonatal units and pediatric facilities in most primary health care centres exacerbated the vulnerability of infants and children to preventable diseases and ailments.
Torkuma said that as a result, maternal and child mortality rates remained unacceptably high, perpetuating a cycle of poor health outcomes and economic hardship for families.
“I must appreciate UNICEF’s intervention in checking maternal and child health issues in the state, but more still needs to be done. The UNICEF Mama2Mama initiative is another commendable initiative as women now enlighten and encourage their fellow women to access antenatal care.
“The challenge is that the government needs to close the healthcare need gap. For example, the land mass of Chanchanji ward is arguably more than the Lau Local Government Area in Taraba State and you have just one primary health care facility. How would that work? We need more equipped primary healthcare centres across the state,” he added.
When our correspondent contacted the Commissioner for Health, Dr Bordiya Buma, he did not pick up his call or reply to a text message sent to him.
However, the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry, Mrs Grace Eki, said the health sector in the state had never had it so good as what was going on in less than one year in office of the present administration.
According to her, the government was working hard to address the healthcare challenges facing the state.
“Since assumption of office, special attention has been given to the treatment and control of malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy, HIV, diphtheria, and Lassa fever in both urban and rural areas. Plans are also on the way to overhaul the health sector in the state for effective service delivery,” she said.
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