FCT Residents Demand Urgent Upgrade as Only PHC Crumbles Without Staff or Drugs
Story: written by Zara November 11,2025
Residents of Gawu Ward in Abaji Area Council, FCT Abuja, are appealing for urgent government intervention as their only Primary Health Care Centre (PHC) remains dilapidated, understaffed, and devoid of essential medicines, civic technology platform Monitng has reported.
Serving over 3,000 people, the facility has been neglected for years, rendering it almost non-functional. Monitng’s visit revealed leaking roofs, broken ceilings, cracked walls, and rusted beds, highlighting that the centre cannot provide even basic medical services.
Many residents are now forced to seek care from traditional healers or travel long distances to neighbouring towns, putting vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and children at heightened risk.
“Residents struggle daily to access even the most basic healthcare. The centre lacks qualified staff, medical equipment, water, and essential drugs. Patients must often purchase medication themselves, even during admissions. On weekends and public holidays, no staff are on duty, leaving the community stranded in emergencies,” Monitng reported.
The report criticized the continued neglect of rural healthcare facilities, despite billions of naira allocated under the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) for PHC renovations nationwide.
“While officials, including the Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof. Ali Pate, highlight transparency in the health sector, rural residents in Abuja continue to suffer,” Monitng stated.
The platform urged the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and Senator Ireti Kingibe to prioritise rural healthcare, stressing that it is unacceptable for residents in Nigeria’s capital to endure preventable suffering while large funds are spent on other projects.
“We call on the FCT Administration and Federal Ministry of Health to immediately renovate, equip, and staff Gasakpa PHC. Every Abuja resident deserves access to quality healthcare, not neglect,” the report emphasized.
Monitng warned that without swift action, the healthcare system in Gawu Ward will continue to collapse, reflecting a broader failure in rural healthcare provision across the FCT.
