For residents of Ndiukwuenu, Okpeze and Amaetiti communities in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, life has become hellish.
This follows near absolute lack of basic amenities.
The three communities are not happy that in the 21st century, their people cannot boast of any functional health system, school, roads, electricity and other basic facilities that support life.
Their plight, they said, was one that had led to high death rate, infant and maternal mortality, crime and other social misdemeanours in their communities.
When newsmen visited the communities recently, the residents could not hide their heartrending stories as most of them lamented the absence of basic amenities that had made life miserable for them.
Recounting their ordeal, the residents said that they walk or ride on bicycle for over 15 kilometers to Awgbu community to get treatment when they are ill, adding that sometimes some of them die on their way.
They cited a recent tragic death of a pregnant woman, Mrs Luisa Obiekwe, from Umuakata Village, Okpeze, who was buried with her unborn baby.
According to them, she was in labour and on her way to Awgbu community the vehicle got stuck on the road and as they were trying to push the vehicle out, the woman who was in intense labour and needed a caesarean operation gave up the battle and died.
The incident, the people said, was just one of the numerous in the area, which Dr. Gabriel Ugochukwu Nweke, the Medical Director of Ugochukwu Medical Centre, Awgbu, confirmed.
When our correspondent visited a health post in Amaetiti, which is in shambles, Mrs. Blessing Azulu from Umuegbue village, Amaetiti, was seen wailing over the death of her new born baby that morning.
According to Miss Rita Nwankwo, a volunteer nurse working in the health post, they lacked some drugs that were supposed to be given to the new baby and on their way to Awgbu to get the drug the baby died.
“She was delivered of a baby boy successfully, but the baby was not strong; he could not cry and needed an injection that would save the situation. We moved to Awgbu for the baby to be injected but along the road, he gave up and we sorrowfully returned to Amaetiti.
“There is a drug I am supposed to give to the baby based on the condition but we don’t have it and every effort to get it proved abortive and we lost the baby boy by 9:00 a.m,” she said. (Tide)
