The Governor of Bauchi State Bala Mohammed has directed the immediate renovation of the Mararaban Liman Katagum Primary Health Care facility following the public outcry over its dilapidated condition.
The order comes as a relief to the small community, located just 20 kilometres from the Bauchi State Government House, where residents have been grappling with the deteriorating conditions of their only public health facility.
Earlier, Uzaifa Idris, one of the youths in the community who laments the condition of the health facility told WikkiTimes the daily struggles they face due to the deplorable state of the hospital. “The condition of the health centre is devastating,” he said, “There isn’t a single room or bed where the rain isn’t leaking. In fact, rain is everywhere. It’s just like rubble of an unoccupied structure.”
He explained that the health facility once meant to provide sanctuary and healing, has been reduced to little more than a ruin, with leaking roofs, soaked floors, and nearly unusable furniture.
Patients who come seeking care are met with floors drenched from rainwater, making it impossible for health workers to admit them. “At the maternity section, the situation is pathetic,” Uzaifa continued, his concern for the community’s most vulnerable clearly palpable. “It is the only public health center we have in Mararaba, but whoever sees its situation would be shocked.”
For the past four years, the health center has been in decline, but this year, its condition has worsened to unimaginable levels. Despite their efforts to draw attention to their plight—approaching local politicians, navigating bureaucratic processes, and pleading for help— the residents saw no results. “It has come to the point where the health staff in the center cannot admit a patient because all rooms are wet from leaking roofs,” Salisu Abdullahi, a resident explained.
The few health workers who still show up for work do so with heavy hearts, aware of their severely limited ability to help. “They can only give injections and discharge, regardless of one’s health improvement. Women in labor must endure the condition. And there are no drugs in the center.”
The impact of this neglect extends far beyond the crumbling structures of the health center, affecting the entire Mararaban Liman Katagum community. In a time of economic hardship, when many families can barely afford basic necessities, seeking care at a private health center is an impossible luxury. “The situation of the health facility affects everyone in Mararaba community,” Uzaifa stressed. “People cannot afford to go to the private health center—hence, people are losing their loved ones day by day. This is devastating.”
Residents of Mararaban Liman Katagum have long fulfilled their civic duties, participating in elections with the hope that their voices would be heard and their needs addressed. However, they feel abandoned, deprived of basic rights, including access to healthcare. “We participate in voting—thus, we do not deserve this,” Uzaifa added.
The community’s plea is simple: they want a functioning health center where their loved ones can receive the care they need without fear of dying from preventable causes.
Like Uzaifa and Abdullahi, other residents called on the state government to come to their aid to renovate the only health facility in the community. “We call on the government as well as wealthy individuals to come to our aid to renovate the center and provide the needed things in it,” Uzaifa urged, speaking on behalf of the entire community. “This is our top priority now.”
Shortly after the assessment visit, the residents who use social media platforms continued to share the deplorable condition of the facility like here and here.
When contacted about the development, the Chairman of the Bauchi Primary Health Care Development Agency (PHCDA) Dr Rilwanu Mohammed confirmed to WikkiTimes that the Governor has ordered for the immediate renovation of the health facility.
“Yes the governor has given an order for its immediate renovation’ It is an immediate order by the governor,” he told WikkiTimes.
This directive is a critical step toward addressing the long-standing neglect faced by the residents of Mararaban Liman Katagum.
