Juliana Innocent lives in Unwaba-Oju, a village in Otahe Ward of Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State in the north-central region of Nigeria. Accessing health services for Mrs Innocent and other residents of Unwaba-Oju is difficult as there is no health centre in the village. The closest community with a primary health care centre to her village is Ogobia, which lies at the end of a 70 km unpaved road.
“While going to Ogobia for antenatal care in March 2021, I had an accident that fractured my leg and hurt my back,” she narrated. Months later, when Mrs Innocent delivered a boy, the baby had tremor, an abnormal rhythmic shaking in the arms, feet, hands, head and legs of newborns. “I took the baby to hospital in Ogobia and the doctor said that he was suffering from low blood sugar.
We were on admission for two weeks,” she said. However, she could not keep up with the baby’s treatment schedule due to the distance of the hospital from her home. “Because of the distance and financial difficulties, I was using herbs and, unfortunately, the baby passed away eight months after delivery.
” Mrs Innocent said most people in Unwaba-Oju use traditional herbs when they cannot travel to the towns to access health care. “Sometimes you may have money for hospital bills but you may not be able to pay for transport,” she said. Only two of her seven children were delivered in the hospital.
“I had the two when Unwaba-Oju Healthcare Centre was functioning.” Mrs Innocent.
