In Wamakko, Donkeys are Ambulances

2009-06-03

Source: Nigerian Best Forum

For the people of Kauran Kimba village in Wamakko Local Government Area of Sokoto State, the use of donkeys as the ultimate means to transport the sick to hospitals is a necessity.

This is so because the village is remote and far away from the luxury of accessing vehicles, a modern means of transportation.

The rural dwellers say they have to resort to the use of donkeys to bridge their transportation problems which for long has been a barrier to accessing quality health

care.

But for the sick, making the journey for treatment on a donkey could be quite exasperating but this ‘ambulance’ comes in handy for the people even at a most grave moment.

According to the villagers, the lack of vehicles has now compelled them to engage the services of donkeys to convey the sick to the local government headquarters, a few kilometres away before getting a vehicle to hospital in Sokoto, the state capital.

Mamman Sani, a resident, said, “On many occasions, we use donkeys when there is no car. Though we have a hospital where minor cases are treated, however, serious problems are taken to Wamakko or Sokoto for treatment.”

He said only patients with life-threatening emergencies or pregnant women who need urgent medical attention are transported to Sokoto because there is no choice.

“As long as the health system in rural areas leaves much to be desired, villagers will continue to travel some distance by whatever means to get the required medical attention,” Sani added.

But while the people of Kauran Kimba have no access to vehicle, those of Gidan Boka, another village in the local government area, are lucky because one of them owns a vehicle and they all rely on him.

The village head of Gidan Boka, Alhaji Muhammadu Tukur, said, “we usually go to Uthmanu Dan Fodio Teaching Hospital in Sokoto for treatment and we have somebody who owns a car in the village and he usually conveys us even if it is in the middle of the night. We would have to wake him up.”

“Although we have one hospital there are no drugs there, so we hardly patronise the hospital because even if we go there, there are no drugs,” he said.

It was the same story at Asari Birnin as the village head, Abubakar Magaji, said although they have a hospital there are not enough drugs. “We take our children to the hospital here and get prescriptions

before going to Sokoto to buy the drugs. But for the adults, we have to go to Sokoto for treatment.

When Weekly Trust visited some of the clinic in the village at about 12 noon, none of the medical personnel were available for comments.

Efforts to reach the local government chairman to comment on the situation through the information officer of the council also failed.

Commenting on the situation, Hajiya Aisha Aminu, a community health worker, called on the “government at the grassroots to put in place well articulated healthcare delivery systems in their various councils.

“Hospitals in the rural areas should be adequately equipped and managed by medical personnel sufficiently remunerated to make life more meaningful to their people.”

Despite the recent declaration of free medical care for children and pregnant women by the Sokoto State government, there is need to extend the largesse to the nooks and crannies of the state

Original article: http://www.nigerianbestforum.com/generaltopics/?p=4456