Tragic Loss: Poor Road Claims Lives of Pregnant Women and Babies in Katsin
Women in Danja Local Government Area are calling on the Katsina State Government to fix the Tsangamawa road in Babban Rafi due to the frequent loss of pregnant women and their babies.
They made the appeal during an emergency meeting convened by the stakeholders to discuss the long-standing issue of the Tsangamawa road, which has been a major challenge for the community.
The Tsangamawa road in Babban Rafi, Danja Local Government Area of Katsina State, had caused the deaths of pregnant women and their newborns, especially during the rainy season.
Despite several pleas to the governments, no action has been taken up to date.
In an interview with Radio Nigeria, some of the women in the community revealed that, pregnant women and their newborn babies are always the victims especially during rainy season, due to difficulties been faced of taking them to hospital due to poor condition of the road.
Although there is a healthcare center in the area, its building is now in a deteriorated state. Most nurses and health workers are unable to attend work regularly due to the bad road.
A mother of four in the community, Hajara Ibrahim expressed her sorrow, saying that, to date, no government has shown them compassion, despite their right to a better life for themselves and their families.
Malama Tayyiba Muktari from Babban Rafi narrated her story during her last pregnancy, said it was the Will of God that she survived it and appealed to Katsina State Government to urgently do something about the road
Also another woman in the community, Fatima Abdullahi lamented that the poor road conditions make it difficult for their husbands to go out and earn a livelihood.
Also speaking, a retired Health Officer in Katsina State, Dr. Haruna Abubakar also appealed Katsina State Government to give include the construction of Tsangamawa, Babban Rafi road in this year’s budget due to it’s important to the public.
These women appealed to the Katsina State Governor, Dr. Dikko Umar Radda, to have mercy on them and their families by repairing the road.
The entire road is only about 23 kilometers long, yet previous governments have failed to fix it. There is a need for the government to prioritize rural areas when awarding contracts to improve their living conditions.
Cov/Adamu Yusuf
