The healthcare system in Esan North-East Local Government Area is reaching a breaking point as the Uromi General Hospital, once a beacon of medical hope for 26 communities, has fallen into a state of deeply troubling abandonment.
For over five years, the facility which serves a population exceeding 10,000 residents has been left to rot, with large sections of the building reportedly on the verge of structural collapse.
A Lifeline in Ruins
What was designed to be a center for lifesaving care has been reduced to a skeletal shadow of its former self. Investigative reports and local accounts reveal a facility stripped of its dignity: wards lack basic hospital beds and mattresses, and essential medical equipment is either entirely missing or obsolete.
The neglect has created a dangerous vacuum for the most vulnerable. Pregnant women, children, and the elderly are now forced to travel grueling distances to seek basic medical attention, often at great personal and financial risk.
The Politics of Neglect
The decay is not a new phenomenon, but rather a legacy of administrative oversight. The facility’s decline persisted throughout the tenure of former Governor Godwin Obaseki, during which renovations were notably not prioritized. However, hope for a quick turnaround under the current leadership of Governor Monday Okpebholo is fading as urgent intervention has yet to materialize.
Local community leaders have expressed growing frustration over the government’s apparent shift in focus.
“It is unacceptable that while long-standing institutions like Uromi and Ekpoma General Hospitals struggle to survive, billions are reportedly being committed to building a new specialist hospital in Udomi village,” stated a concerned community representative. “Why abandon existing hospitals that already serve thousands of people?”
Calls for Urgent Intervention
The contrast in the region is stark. While the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital provides federal-level care, the collapse of community-tier hospitals places an unsustainable burden on the federal system and leaves local residents without immediate primary or secondary care.
The people of Esanland are now issuing a direct plea to the state government and the are that there should be an immediate rehabilitation of the Uromi General Hospital structure, provision of essential medical equipment and furniture, and prioritization of existing infrastructure over expensive new projects.
The Bottom Line
Healthcare in Esan North-East cannot wait. With every day that passes without action, the risk of a total loss of this vital public institution grows. For the residents of Uromi, a functional hospital is not a luxury, it is a matter of life and death.
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