Armed Conflict Affects Medical Care

Medical care has taken a continued dip in the Niger Delta in over two years of armed conflicts orchestrated by militancy, kidnappings and oil sabotage, said National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).

The NARD, rising from its annual scientific conference and general meeting in Port Harcourt, announced there was a significant drop in medical care in the region "because of the increased armed conflicts within the region."

NARD national president, Owhondah Golden, said the relevant health care indices such as infant and maternal mortality rates had experienced a continued upward movement in the region, reaching an alarming rate, saying oil exploration in the region, spanning five decades, had shored up several diseases among the region’s people. Okongwu Chinedu, secretary general of the group, said noted that "the disease burden in the region has been on the increase due to pollution of its environment, ongoing oil exploration and inadequate health care delivery system in the area."

The doctors are appealing fervently to the Federal Government and governments of the region, to act fast in checking the conflicts, that have ultimately caused medical personnel to generally shun administering drugs and health care to those who need attention in the area. The doctors have therefore pledged that they "would pursue rural outreach health programme to assist in realising the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), in collaboration with the local governments of the country.

A recent survey by United Nations Human Development index said over 70 percent of the population of the Niger Delta live below the poverty line, less than $1 a day.
The region, which is the third largest wetland in the world, has a steadily growing population, now put at over 40 million people as of 2006, accounting for more than 23 percent of Nigeria’s population of over 140 million.

(Business Day)