. No doctor, Nurse, Health staff

Emadaja - Four years after the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, built and commissioned a Cottage Hospital with a state of the art equipment at Emadaja, an oil-bearing community in Udu Local Government Area, Delta State, the health facility has been abandoned

 Nigeria Delta Voice gathered that since the inauguration of the hospital, no doctor, nurse and health staff has been posted to the health facility, expected to cater for the community with 15,00 population and a transot point to other parts of the state for Ekrota, Ukperheren, Obubu and other Udu villages .

Th community, which attained oil production status since 1972 is host to the Abura Oil field, some 17 oil wells, while a flow station is in the pipeline.

 President General of Emadaja, Sunday subi, who spoke to Niger Delta Voice on the worrisome development, said lives lost in the community and environs in the past few years could have been saved if the hospital was functional.

 He was shocked that after spending so much to build and equip the health centre, government left it idle for four years.

No personnel 

He said: "In acknowledgement of the difficulties residents suffer over the absence of functional health facility, NDDC commissioned the project in 2011, furnised with state-of-the-art equipment required in a purposeful hospital. The only thing not provided was personnel to run it.

"Almost five years after, absolutely nothing has changed. No doctor, nurse ad other hospital staff has been engaged to manage the facility. Decay of the equipment has set in," he lamented

Drugs surgery equipment lay waste

 At the cottage hospital, Niger Delta Voice observed that drugs, power generating sets, surgery and other sensitive equipment were laying waste. Also laying idle was a brand new Ambulance, also supplied by NDDC.

Complaints Unheeded

 Subi asserted: "We have written several letters to NDDC, the Delta State Government, Nigerai National Petroleum Company, NNPC and Nigeria Peteroleum Development Company, NNPC and Nigeria Petroleum Development Company, NPSC, for intervention.

"The Ovie of Udu Kingdom, HRM, Owhorhu 1 and top political leaders in Udu have also drawn government attention to no avail.

"Not listening to our plignt is inciting and unfair", the community leader added.