“Emeka, who lives in Mama P compound in the community, also lost his wife along with a set of twins while Daramola lost his wife and is left to bring up their baby alone. What the three men have in common is that their wives fell into labour at night.
Bolanle, David’s wife, 27, may have been alive today to experience the joy of motherhood, but her dream was cut short because she found herself at Igbologun. Bolanle’s desire to give life led her to the great beyond. She fell into labour in the middle of the night.
“When she went into labour in the middle of the night, we already knew there was a problem. Her mother called for help, but there was little anyone could do because there was no means of conveying her to the other side of the lagoon for medical attention”, said Mr. Gbenga Sosanya, a neighbour.
“Prior to her delivery time, Bolanle registered for antenatal at Tolu Hospital in Ajegunle, but no boat could convey her there in the night. She and her baby died after several hours of labour in the hands of traditional birth attendants”.
Pointing to the spot where Bolanle was buried, Sosanya said that the trauma forced her parents to leave the community. He hinted that several of such cases were recorded in the community until few years ago, when someone set up a small private hospital.”
In this day and age where we call a mega city still has something rural about one of her communities. This community is under the Amuwo-Odofin Local government In lagos known as civilized centre but unfortunately, this local government has a community in it that is almost dying. The Igbologun Community has nothing to show off as a well-built, healthy community. They’ve got no water, good roads and no hospitals, the women die during labour. They have got no healthcare services which makes this community lose women and children daily.
It’s a crime to get pregnant at night! it’s a crime to be critically ill because they have no hospitals there. One would wonder how they survive in this modern world?. They are actually dying everytime. Most especially the women who get pregnant in that area.
”The only doctor serving the over 20,000 residents of Igbologun graduated from University of Ibadan in 2005. He served at Bishop Shanahan Hospital, Nsukka and later joined Ibadan Central Hospital for a year and a half before moving to Otolu Medical Centre in Olodi-Apapa.
While at Olodi-Apapa, a patient attending ante natal facilitated his relocation to Igbologun. “When one of the pregnant women who came for ante natal told me they lost a pregnant woman with twins overnight because there was no means to transport her to the hospital, I was surprised and asked why they did not call for an ambulance. She said no ambulance could get there,”the doctor said.
Gbolahan discussed his intention to relocate with his wife who kicked against it. “But as God will have it, she was having problem with her own pregnancy; so I quickly took her to the United States of America and, before she returned, I had moved to the community.”
Over the past five years, he has been practising in Igbologun. Most of his patients have been vulnerable groups, children, pregnant women and the elderly. He explained that most of his patients come to his clinic after trying so many options and only come at the point of death.
“Few (pregnant women) register across the ocean in Ajegunle but usually have no means to cross the ocean and end up dead in the hands of traditional birth attendants or are brought to me very late. There was a case I just discharged, she presented very late, but eventually we saved her life but lost the baby. She went to be delivered in a church in the community, where there was no nurse. After several hours of prayer and miracles did not happen, they sent for me,”the doctor said.”
This community has just a doctor, a community of over twenty thousand people. We are fighting against mortality and in this century of ours, somewhere in the mega city, some people are dying because of the unavailability of good healthcare facilities which is a fundamental right. This is not just about the story of this community but the fact that we have to stand to make things better.
There are places in dire need of basic development. It is not going to be a heavy task to request that rapid aid is brought to this community so that Our Women and Children can Live Again. We do not want to have Children without mothers, Husbands without wives. It is possible to save this community.
Not About The Story Alone But Solutions
Creating a suitable Road technique is one easy root to making their community better. The only means of transportation is via boat. An almost wrecked boat which conveys people to the place. When a good and effective means of transportation is made for these people, they will be able to access all they need.
Healthcare:
No society survives without basic healthcare services. So, Educate the youngones. Build good hospitals and deploy doctors to train people who are interested in health services. Which includes maternal healthservices. This healthcare facility should be 24hours.
Electricity
According to reports, the power level of the country is not encouraging but for this community it is below poor. When there is power, the hospitals can function appropriately well. We do not need our women dying during childbirth.
We can go beyond that and we have to take the steps Now.
One Response
Imagine! And this community is under one local government. There solution is that they need a voice to speak for them. Because I don’t believe if the state government know about the existence of this community when there local government can’t even do anything.