This is despite the state being one of the top three oil-rich states in the country.
The government of Rivers State has abandoned the General Hospital Okwuzi, at Egbema kingdom in Ogba Egbema Ndoni Local Government Area of the state.
This is despite the state being one of the top three oil-rich states in the country.
An indigene of Egbema Kingdom, Lukeson Oguchi, explained that the structure of the mega-hospital has become decrepit.
From videos obtained by SaharaReporters, it is observed that the hospital, which was established with various departments as seen in a standard hospital, is now a shadow of its former self.
A resident worker at the hospital, Ebenezer Onowu, said the hospital stopped functioning in 2012 when the doctor in charge died, coupled with the lack of maintenance by the government.
Onowu, who said he worked at the hospital for 37 years, complained bitterly and appealed to the Rivers State Government under the supervision of Governor Nyesom Wike to live up to expectations.
He revealed that the hospital is sited at a border town between Rivers and Imo states and in the past, served both Rivers state and Imo state including nearby communities but has fallen short of its standard as there are no staff members and equipment.
Onowu noted that the mortuary is the only section of the hospital barely functioning.
He said, “I am Ebenezer Onowu, I work here. This is General Hospital, Okwuzi. I have been a resident staff here since 1984. It stopped functioning in 2012 when the doctor died and there was no replacement, the time Rotimi Amaechi was the governor of the state. As of now, it is only the mortuary that is functional, it is even on a contractual basis. Every other thing is non-functional.
“We submitted the keys of the hospital to the Rivers State Ministry of Health in 2014 when all the staff members of the hospital were transferred to Port Harcourt, the state capital shortly after the doctor managing the hospital died in 2012.
“Whereas during the first tenure of the current governor, Nyesom Wike, he promised to come and put this place in order but nothing has been done since then.”
Meanwhile, Oguchi stated that the General Hospital served the people of Egbema very well when it was established.
He noted that the military regime inaugurated the hospital in 1984 but the civilian government has only seen to the rot of the hospital which could have further served the people in the area.
He stated that a former governor of the state, Peter Odili, an indigene of the area promised to ensure proper maintenance of the hospital during his tenure but his words were mere promises.
Oguchi noted that other governors who governed the state after Odili capitalised on fixing the hospital as a campaign strategy but ended up doing nothing.
He said, "It was a thing of joy for the Egbema people of Rivers State in 1984 when the Okwuzi General Hospital was commissioned during the military era even though the then government was far from the people. The people celebrated this.
“But, their joy was cut short barely 10 years after this feat when the management of the hospital gradually became unproductive leaving the Rivers State Government-owned hospital to rot.
“Shortly after this, the democratic system of government was ushered in and under the state leadership of Governor Peter Odili, he promised of renovating and fixing this hospital together with other projects needing immediate attention. These were the campaign promises he made to the people but were not fulfilled.
“In fact, the then Governor never returned to Egbema kingdom after the election even though he is from same local government area where the abandoned hospital is located.
“Governor Rotimi Amaechi came with the same promise to fix the hospital during the campaign as a way of wooing the people for their votes but disappeared immediately after he won the election.
“The current governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, being aware of how important the abandoned hospital is to the people, decided to apply the same strategy that worked for his predecessors.
”During Wike's campaign in 2014, he decided to mark his 47th birthday and Valentine’s Day celebration in Mgbede, one of the 3 towns in Egbema kingdom where he promised the people of being the solution to their problems.
“The governor said, 'Vote me in first and let me see who says Egbema people will not enjoy their God-given natural resources. Vote me in and I promise you that by the first 100 days in office, the Okwuzi General hospital will be fully equipped and functional.'”
In another media report dated 26th August 2017, Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Rivers State Chapter, Felix Obuah, claimed that Wike had stretched project execution to all nooks and crannies in the state, and had awarded the renovation of Okwuzi General Hospital.
Obuah said: “I want to use this forum to officially receive you into Peoples Democratic Party. I want to assure you that the Leader of the PDP in Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, knows I’m here.
“Egbema will not be left in the good governance of Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike's government. He is a godsend to Rivers people. He has awarded a contract for the renovation of Okwuzi General Hospital.”
However, since the statement was made by Obuah, nothing has been done to revive the hospital in the oil-rich state.