Residents of Akpautong community in Ibesikpo Asutan LGA, Akwa Ibom State, are facing severe healthcare challenges as Mount Carmel Hospital, the only primary healthcare facility in the area, has reportedly fallen into a state of severe neglect.

Findings from the Tracka monitoring team reveal that the hospital, which serves six surrounding communities, has deteriorated into a dangerous shell, with broken walls, damaged floors, collapsed roofs, and overgrown surroundings. Many wards are no longer usable, and only the female ward remains partially functional, now overcrowded with men, women, and children.

Inside the facility, rusted hospital beds, obsolete medical equipment, and a lack of running water, electricity, and sanitation facilities make basic healthcare risky and costly. Health workers rely on personal funds and private generators to provide services, placing both patients and staff in danger.

Civic tech group MonITNG condemned the state of Mount Carmel Hospital, highlighting that rural healthcare neglect starkly contrasts with Akwa Ibom State’s ₦1.65 trillion 2025 budget and the declared state of emergency in health. MonITNG further pointed to ₦32.9 billion approved by the federal government under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), stressing there is no justification for continued abandonment of rural facilities.

The organization urged the state government and relevant authorities to prioritize the rehabilitation of Mount Carmel Hospital, emphasizing that access to safe and dignified healthcare is a right, not a privilege.

“Urban-focused investments must extend to rural hospitals to bridge the healthcare divide and ensure BHCPF funds lead to tangible improvements,” MonITNG said.