The plans of the Ogun State Government to end maternal and infant mortality with the launch of tricycle ambulances have taken a massive hit as the vehicles are rotting away in local government secretariat and various health centres across the state. Recall that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recently ranked Ogun as the state with the highest number of childrens’ deaths in the southwestern part of the country.
Research carried out by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics in partnership with UNICEF and other partners revealed that Ogun recorded the highest figures in neonatal mortality, infant mortality, and postnatal care for newborns, compared to other Nigerian states.
According to the survey, 56 out of 1000 kids between the ages of zero and 11 months died after birth in Ogun State.
UNICEF’s Social Policy Specialist further noted that 68 out of 1000 children between the ages of 0 and less than one year died after their birth in Ogun State.
However, reliable sources have confirmed that the tricycles that were launched to reduce the high mortality rate have been completely abandoned, unused and exposed to depreciation.
The reason for the neglect is that most of the infant mortality has been taking place in rural areas where bad roads anda poor health care system have been normalized.
One of the tricycles is currently visibly idle at the Ado Odo Ota local government, opposite Chief A.A Dehinde hall, while another is currently wasting away at the Iju health centre, Atan Local Council Development Area (LCDA).
Reports insist that since the day the keke napep was delivered to its present location, it has never been driven around for any emergency operation.
Insiders have said that the tricycles are suffering neglect because there is no money to maintain them.
A particular source, who preferred to remain anonymous, disclosed that all the tricycles that were delivered at different health centres in Ogun have remained unused thus far.
90 tricycle ambulances are presently serving no purpose despite the fact that they were provided to save lives – 50 from the Ogun State Government, 30 from the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, and 10 more from private donors.
