SAVE Initiative Reports Critical Healthcare Gaps in Kogi East

A Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) report has highlighted severe deficiencies in healthcare delivery in Kogi East, leading to calls for government intervention. During an advocacy visit to the Kogi State Health Management Board in Lokoja, Okai Mohammed Siaka, Programme Officer of SAVE Initiative, presented findings indicating critical shortages of personnel, inadequate equipment, and poor infrastructure in health facilities.

The CLM project assesses healthcare services, particularly in HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, through community feedback and performance tracking. The monitoring team evaluated ten health facilities, revealing alarming conditions at General Hospital, Egume, which suffers from a lack of basic equipment and personnel.

The facility has only three nurses and one doctor serving numerous communities, with no drip stands and very few beds. The advocacy involved stakeholders from various health organizations and aimed to draw attention to the deteriorating healthcare situation in Kogi East.