By Patrick Idowu
The ongoing strike by health workers across the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory has left many pregnant women in rural communities without access to antenatal care.
Health centres have been shut since March, as nurses and other medical staff under the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees protest unpaid arrears and entitlements.
Investigations show that many expectant mothers now travel long distances to general hospitals or private clinics in search of care.
Mrs Deborah Samuel from Kurudu in Karu Area Council said she spends at least N2,500 weekly to access antenatal services at Nyanya General Hospital.
Similarly, Mrs Hanatu Dikko from Riza in Kwali Area Council pays up to N6,000 for transportation and feeding to attend a clinic in Kwaita.
In Riwaza, also under Kwali Area Council, Mrs Sarah Emmanuel said the closure of nearby health centres has forced women to risk home deliveries, with some relying on traditional birth attendants.
Chairman of the FCT chapter of the National Association of Nurses and Midwifery, Comrade Jamadi Medan, blamed the prolonged closure on the failure of the six area council chairmen to settle workers’ outstanding payments.
