By Samuel Adeola
Residents of the Wassa IDP Camp in the FCT have appealed to the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), to reopen the camp’s Primary Healthcare Centre, which has been locked since 2022.
The facility, donated in 2016 by former House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara, was shut after a dispute between residents and a doctor deployed by the FCT Administration.
Although camp leaders say they have since apologised, the clinic has remained closed, leaving thousands, especially women and children without access to basic medical care.
Camp vice chairman, Malam Usman Ibrahim, said the situation has become unbearable.
“Women and children suffer the most. We travel long distances for treatment and often contribute money for transport,” he said.
He recalled past incidents where lack of healthcare led to deaths during cholera outbreaks and childbirth complications.
He urged AMAC to restore services and deploy another doctor.
“We just want the centre reopened, equipped, and staffed,” he appealed.
Women leader, Mrs. Hafsatu Haman, said the closure has worsened hardship in the camp.
“When our children fall sick, there is nowhere to take them. The only hospital for us is locked,” she lamented, calling for government and NGO support.
Efforts to reach AMAC officials for comments were unsuccessful.
