The commissioner for health, Cross River State, Betta Edu has urged the Federal Government to support the state government in rebuilding and recovering from the massive damage done to the state in the wake of the recent EndSARS protests.
This was as she condemned the vandalism and looting of the world health organisation ( WHO) office, the state essential drug store ( EDP), Covid- 19 reference laboratory, infectious disease hospital (Lawrence Henshaw Memorial Hospital), Adiabor isolation centre, primary health facilities in Calabar South, Akpabuyo and Bakassi local government areas, as well as the federal neuropsychiatric hospital, in Calabar.
Edu, who toured the damaged facilities alongside some federal officials, to assess the extent of damage done, described as ‘ unbelievable and unacceptable’ what the team saw.
The commissioner said the destruction to the health infrastructure has taken the state many steps backwards and would cost a whole lot to get these institutions back on their feet.
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She was saddened by the fact that young people could go that low to hurt and destroy themselves and the vulnerable in society. “How can anyone steal HIV and TB drugs that are given free of charge? What will they do with them? How can one steal highly infectious TB samples, Covid-19 samples, HIV samples, carried refrigerators with these samples in them to their homes and families? Why will you want to kill yourselves or family members and have an outbreak of diseases in your communities? How do you see a mentally challenged person or a sick person ( who is vulnerable) throw them off the hospital bed and take the mattresses? What exactly came over us? What were they thinking? When people destroy health facilities, what will serve them when they fall ill? Who will care for their wives and children, their aged parents? Who are the people employed there, are they not 90 percent young Cross Riverians? Who cast this spell on us? This is not who we are as a people and this is definitely not what the Nigerian youth represent,” Edu said.
