More than 2,000 residents in Burtura community, Bokkos LGA, Plateau State, face grave health risks as their only primary health centre stands in ruins.
Burtura residents in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State now battle life-threatening conditions daily.
Their sole primary health centre (PHC) has deteriorated into a dilapidated shell, leaving more than 2,000 people without access to basic medical services.
Civic monitors from Tracka recently visited the facility and documented shocking neglect.
The centre lacks electricity entirely. No functional medical equipment remains.
Hospital beds have vanished, and even the most essential infrastructure—such as reliable water supply and proper roofing—fails to exist.
When multiple patients arrive simultaneously, the overwhelmed staff struggle to respond.
Health workers often refer cases to distant facilities, forcing families to bear unaffordable transport and treatment costs.
Many residents turn to self-medication or traditional remedies instead. Community members report that such delays have already caused preventable deaths.
Despite annual billions allocated in the Plateau State budget for health and federal disbursements through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), PHC Burtura remains abandoned.
The federal government approved significant funds for PHC rehabilitation in late 2025, with further releases expected in 2026 under BHCPF 2.0.
Yet local leaders and authorities have failed to act.Sahara Reporters highlighted the crisis on January 27, 2026, after the Tracka exposure.
The report underscores a broader pattern of rural healthcare collapse across Nigeria, where vulnerable groups—pregnant women, children, and the elderly—suffer most.
Tracka activists demand immediate intervention.
They call on Governor Caleb Mutfwang, the Plateau State Commissioner for Health, and the Federal Ministry of Health to prioritize rehabilitation, equip the facility, and deploy adequate staff.
Healthcare, they insist, constitutes a fundamental right—not a distant privilege.
Until urgent repairs begin, Burtura’s families continue to live in fear, one illness away from tragedy.
The time for excuses has ended; action must start now.
