• 8 Communities in Abia, Akwa Ibom States Suffer Same Situation
• Government Abandoned Us to Die – Communities Lament

Usaka Annang Community in Obot Akara Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, which hosted Gulder Ultimate Search Reality Show in 2012 in Usaka Forest does not have a healthcare facility.

Same fate faces her neighbours; Usaka Nto Akan, Afia Usun, Usun Ntan, Ndon, Okporo Ukana, and Abama Communities in Obot Akara LGA in Akwa Ibom State, as well as Mgboko, Nenu and Umuopara Egbelu Communities in Obingwa LGA in neighbouring Abia State.

Checks by Kristina Reports indicate that these communities not only share the proximity of walking distances with each other but also the plight of traveling several kilometers to seek medical care as none exists anywhere close to them.

This is despite promises by the present administrations in both Abia and Akwa Ibom States on improved quality and access to healthcare.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that a health facility should be within five kilometres reach for easy access by those who may need medical intervention of any sort.

Umo Eno is the Governor of Akwa Ibom State while Alex Otti is his Abia State counterpart with Professor Augustine Umoh and Ngozi Okoronkwo as their respective Commissioners for Health.

Agnes Udoenwenwen is the Chairman of Obot Akara LGA of Akwa Ibom State while Eric Egwuibe is the Chairman of Obingwa LGA of Abia State.

Usaka Annang Community alone has a population of about 11,000 and all this multitude of people do not have the luxury of a health center or hospital and have to travel out of their community to neighboring local government areas to receive healthcare services.

This development has brought untold hardship to the residents of Usaka Annang and the other communities. They are pleading with the Government to do something about it.

Their saving grace, however, is the monthly medical outreach carried out by a health center in a neighboring village, Okpo Eto, which is about nine kilometers away from Usaka Annang.

The head of the health center, Elizabeth Nkom explained that the outreach is usually done at the end of each month and they do their best to attend to any case that is brought to them.

“We visit Usaka Annang and Usaka Nto Akan once every month, usually at the end of the month. Originally, the outreach was for immunization but because we know the the condition of the communities, we also attend to other health challenges that are brought to us.”

Chief of the community, Ndarake Otuekong complained that the lack of access to healthcare has brought untold hardship on his people and urged that something be done about it.

“We are suffering here; it is as if the Government has abandoned us. If the health center in our community is working, I’m sure our people will not suffer this way. Many people in this community are not old, it is the sickness that makes it look that way.”

Residents also complained bitterly as to how much they have to spend in order to travel out of their community to access proper healthcare, lamenting that instead of spending the little they have in doing the trip to the next community, they manage their illnesses with local herbs and use their money to survive.

The head of the Usaka Annang Community Council, Me Ukabi pleaded with the Government to look into their plight and “solve this great problem as it will go a long way to not only improve the quality of life in Usaka Annang but also in Usaka Nto Akan, Afia Usun, Usun Ntan, Ndon, Okporo Ukana, Abama as well as Mgboko, Nenu and Umuoapara Egbelu in the neighbouring Abia State”.

“We are appealing to the Governor, Pastor Umo Eno to come to our aid. The suffering of our people is too much. Our people are sick and dying. As a man of God, I believe he will have compassion for our people and do something to end our suffering so that we can also benefit from his ARISE Agenda.”

Efforts by Kristina Reports to get the response of the Abia and Akwa Ibom States’ governments on the situation in the aforementioned communities was yet unsuccessful as they were yet to respond as at the time of this report.