Staff and patients are reportedly forced to contend with harsh weather conditions due to the lack of functional facilities.
Patients at the Nyaguru Millennium Development Goals Clinic in the Tafa Local Government Area, Niger State, are being forced to sit under trees to receive treatment due to the facility’s dilapidated state, a civic technology platform.
The clinic, which serves thousands of people, suffers from collapsed ceilings, lack of electricity, and no functional medical equipment despite claims by the state government of billions of naira spent on health and education.
A civic technology platform, Monitng, said the clinic’s condition mirrors the widespread neglect of primary healthcare across the state.
“The clinic has only three bed stands, no medical equipment, no electricity, no labour room, and no perimeter fence.
Sections of the ceiling have collapsed, exposing patients and health workers to rain and harsh sunlight,” Monitng stated, highlighting the severe infrastructural decay that exposes residents to direct environmental hazards.
Staff and patients are reportedly forced to contend with harsh weather conditions due to the lack of functional facilities.
“During rainfall, water drips into treatment rooms, forcing staff to place buckets on the floor. In the dry season, the heat becomes unbearable, and patients are forced to sit outside under trees to receive treatment because the facility is not conducive,”
Monitng said, describing how the clinic fails to provide even basic protection for patients.
The platform added that the facility has been ignored for several years, with no intervention from the authorities.
“The clinic has remained in this condition for over five years without intervention,” Monitng added, emphasising the long-term neglect despite government claims of investment.
Some sections of the clinic have reportedly been repurposed due to abandonment.
Monitng observed that “some sections of the hospital rooms have been converted into storage spaces for harvested farm produce due to abandonment and lack of use,” signalling how the facility is no longer serving its primary healthcare purpose.
Healthcare staff also face challenges obtaining essential medical supplies.
“Health workers lament that they often travel to other towns to purchase basic supplies such as syringes, injections, and pain relief drugs,” Monitng said, pointing to the difficulties faced in providing even basic care to patients.
The lack of basic medical equipment and unsafe surroundings have reportedly put patients’ lives at further risk.
“There is no functional laboratory or lab equipment, and drip stands are improvised by hanging drips on walls. The surrounding bush allows snakes to sneak into the building on several occasions, putting lives at risk,” Monitng reported, highlighting the multiple hazards in the facility.
In light of the clinic’s conditions, Monitng has called for urgent government intervention.
“Governor Bago, Hon. Jonah Ishaya, we urge your office, Niger State, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, and Federal Ministry of Health to urgently rehabilitate, equip, and staff Nyaguru MDG Clinic to ensure access to safe and dignified healthcare,” Monitng said, stressing the immediate need for action.