Coordinator decries lack of quality healthcare service at Abuja IDP camp

Thu, May 21, 2020
By publisher
3 MIN READ

Politics

IDRIS Halilu, Coordinator of an Abuja-based Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDPs) camp, has decried the lack of quality healthcare delivery at various IDP camps in the country.

Halilu said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) while receiving a donation of 200 cartons of food items donated to IDPs, by three groups on Thursday in Abuja.

The items were put together by Embassy of the State of Israel in Nigeria, in collaboration with ChabadAid, MAG Tech System Ltd. and Brand Life Vision Foundation, an NGO.

According to him, the challenges often faced by IDPs in camps are mainly centered around inability to access quality healthcare service delivery.

Halilu said,  “Our biggest challenge is health; I appeal to the Federal Government to bear in mind that the IDPs in Abuja have had nowhere to go to for medical attention since Dec. 1, 2019.

“It is unfortunate that neither our children, nor adults in IDP camps can access medical healthcare facilities at any hospital in Abuja; this has posed serious challenge for us.”

He said the IDPs have had to live their lives in camp through voluntary donations from charity organisations since lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The coordinator appealed for the establishment of medical outreach at the camp and distribution of face masks to the IDPs, to ensure their protection from the ravaging coronavirus.

“We had few bags of rice from former President Goodluck Jonathan Foundation and the Speaker of the House of Representatives;  beside these, nothing else in the form of water or grains.

“It is unfortunate that we are faced with the lockdown while Ramadan Kareem is at the corner; I urge government to reach out to us and our children, who are mostly vulnerable Nigerians.

“Let them reach out to us and see for themselves or send delegates, for a population that has been neglected and who cannot access medical care, it is risky,” he added.

Earlier, Mr Dauda Ibrahim-Daura, Executive Secretary of Brand Life Vision Foundation, said that they were at the camp last year to share food items to IDPs during Ramadan.

According to him, we feel that they are the people that need these items the most, which is why we decided to bring them the palliatives.

“Everybody knows we are all experiencing economic hard times not only in Nigeria; it is a global challenge that the world is faced with.

“So, we implore everybody who has the ability to assist to reach out to the IDPs because they are the worst hit by hardship.

“Government is doing its best, but more needs to be done by private organisations to achieve the desired goal in lending helping hands to them.

“50 per cent of our problems in the society will be solved if we go beyond religious and political divide, and show love to IDPs,” Ibrahim said. (NAN)

– May 21, 2020 @ 14:09 GMT |

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