Fellow Nurses Africa. Lagos, Nigeria. 18 August, 2025
Primary Health Center Stands as Monument to Government Neglect While Community Suffers in Silence
Images reveal shocking state of healthcare facility meant to serve thousands
IDI-IROKO ONIGBEDU, Ogun State – In what can only be described as a humanitarian crisis hiding in plain sight, the primary healthcare center serving this border community stands today as a haunting testament to systematic government neglect, leaving generations of residents to face life-and-death situations with nothing but hope and prayer.
The facility, originally built to be a beacon of hope for maternal and child health, now resembles an abandoned structure more than a functioning medical center. With its rusted water infrastructure, dilapidated interior, and basic amenities in complete disrepair, the center has become a cruel mockery of the government’s promises to provide accessible healthcare to all citizens.
A Community Garden Where Lives Should Be Saved
Perhaps the most heartbreaking irony is found in the overgrown vegetable garden that now occupies the space where ambulances should park and patients should receive emergency care. While residents have turned to growing their own food for survival, they are forced to travel hours to access basic medical services that should be available in their own backyard.
“Women here deliver their babies on bare floors because there are no functional beds, no clean water, and no electricity,” revealed a community elder who wished to remain anonymous for fear of government retaliation. “We’ve watched too many mothers and children die from complications that could have been easily treated with proper medical care.”
The Human Cost of Institutional Failure
The statistics paint a grim picture:
- Maternal mortality rates in the community have skyrocketed over the past decade
- Children routinely die from preventable diseases due to lack of basic immunizations
- Elderly residents suffer from treatable conditions that become fatal due to healthcare inaccessibility
- Mental health issues go completely unaddressed, creating a cycle of community trauma
The rusted water tank, meant to provide clean water for medical procedures, hasn’t functioned in years. The patient beds, covered in dust and decay, tell the story of a system that has completely abandoned its most vulnerable citizens.
A Cry for Humanity
“This is not just about infrastructure – this is about human dignity,” said a local community health worker who has witnessed the deteriorating situation firsthand. “Every day we turn away sick people because we literally have nothing to offer them. How do you tell a pregnant woman in labor that she needs to travel 50 kilometers on bad roads to find help?”
The contrast is stark and painful: while urban areas boast of medical tourism and world-class facilities, rural communities like Idi-Iroko Onigbedu have been completely forgotten, left to fend for themselves in a healthcare wasteland.
The Ripple Effect
This healthcare crisis extends far beyond medical treatment:
- Young people are fleeing the community, creating a demographic crisis
- Economic development has stagnated due to health-related productivity losses
- Educational outcomes suffer as children frequently miss school due to preventable illnesses
- The psychological trauma of watching loved ones suffer needlessly has created lasting community scars
As images of this healthcare disaster circulate on social media, garnering hundreds of comments and shares, the question remains: How long will society allow this injustice to continue?
“We’re not asking for luxury – we’re asking for the basic right to healthcare that every human being deserves,” pleaded a community representative. “Our children deserve to be born safely, our sick deserve to be healed, and our elderly deserve to age with dignity.”
The international community has standards for refugee camps that exceed what these Nigerian citizens currently have access to in their own homeland. This is not just a local issue – it’s a national embarrassment and a humanitarian crisis that demands immediate intervention.
Stakeholders across all levels must act immediately:
- Government officials must prioritize rural healthcare infrastructure
- Healthcare professionals must advocate for resource allocation
- Civil society organizations must amplify these voices
- International partners must support sustainable healthcare solutions
- Citizens everywhere must demand accountability from their elected representatives
The faces behind these statistics are real people with names, families, dreams, and the fundamental right to healthcare. Their suffering should not be invisible, their cries should not go unheard, and their basic human dignity should not be negotiable.
We call on all stakeholders to rise up to this critical emergency ravaging an entire community.
Source: Punch News Nigeria
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