By Brave Dickson
The bad state of Jointkrama general hospital in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State has been alleged to be responsible for the scores of dead patients in the area.
The Chairman, Special Chapter of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Hon. Sokari Goodboy Sokari who made this known to our correspondent estimated the annual death toll as between 30 to 50 lives.
The illustrious son of the area said: “I can tell you on good authority that annually, we use to lose between 30 to 50 lives as a result of no medical facility in Ahoada West LGA.
“We usually have perennial flooding in our area which comes with a lot of sicknesses and the death rate within such period is much higher.
“In course of the dilapidated nature of the hospital, our people for decades have been suffering and a lot of my people have been dying from minor sicknesses or injuries.
“Since the Jiontkrama general hospital was established in the 80s till date, I can tell you that no successive government has come to renovate it.
“As it is now, what we have there is just a dilapidated building. There is no medical facilities there, not even syringe or needle in that hospital.
“And that hospital was supposed to care for the whole of Ahoada West.
“My people have been traveling all the way to Yenagoa in Bayelsa State for medical treatment and most of my people don’t have the money for that.
“If this Jiontkrama general hospital were to be in good condition, it would have been the best thing that we would have appreciated.
“I’ am calling on the federal, state and local governments to put in palliative measures while the state government should do a major upgrading work.”
