Our correspondent who visited PHCs in Awka North, Oyi, Dunukofia, Awka South, Aguata, and Njikoka Council Areas, reports that no single facility had their keke ambulances working.
This is also more worrisome, considering the huge amount spent on their purchase and the whole fuse made by the Obiano regime, as to how the Primary Healthcare System in the system has been rejigged for greater efficiency.
The development, where almost none of the PHCs have a functional keke ambulance, makes it impossible to move serious health cases that could not be handled at the PHCs to secondary facilities, as was observed with a Tuberculosis case observed at Amanuke PHCs in Awka North.
The patient, Mary Abam, a local farmer, was met at the PHC coughing profusely in the same environment where infants were being immunized and other patients were being treated.
When accosted, the patient explained that her samples had been taken for 10 days by a gene expert but she had not heard anything from the hospital, making her insist on remaining at the facility.
The health attendant at the facility explained that they could not move her to the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku-Awka, because there were no mobility vehicles.
When asked what was wrong with the Keke ambulance conspicuously parked on the premises, the staff confided in this reporter that it had been immovable since they received it.
The same was the case with other PHCs visited where the ambulances were in ruins, not being used.
According to some Officers in Charge of the facilities, who preferred not to be mentioned, for fear of being victimized, the keke ambulance initiative was a total fraud.
According to them, the government promised to use the Keke ambulances to improve health service at the grassroots but the project was handled by contractors, who procured non-functional ambulances for the PHCs.
They further accused some officials of the previous government of signing off on the vehicles and mandating them to sign that they were in good condition, when they were bad, calling on the Chukwuma Soludo administration to probe the issue.
When our correspondent took the matter to the Executive Secretary of the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, ASPHCDA, Pharmacist Chisom Uchem, she made it clear that Keke ambulance never worked for one day, suggesting a clear scam.
She revealed that many PHCs even had to tow their vehicles from the Government House where they were distributed to their communities.
“Many of the PHCs had to use towing vans to take their keke ambulances from the government house to their facilities.
“So, it is not about bandying the information that keke ambulances were distributed to communities but about the functionality of those vehicles.
“Majority of them were out of use and was never made to even service anybody from the onset.
“So, I can tell you that none of them is functional,” she noted.
Pharmacist Uchem revealed that as a way forward, the present administration is making alternative arrangements for transportation at the PHCs, that are more reliable and sustainable.
One such arrangement she revealed, includes the introduction of the 112 emergency services, where patients are picked up when they need to be moved to the next level of care when they call.
She also said they have worked out an arrangement with local private operators of keke, to provide transportation services, for which they will be paid.
