Community members have taken it upon themselves to repair their dilapidated Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) facility in Kodo, Wushishi Local Government Area (LGA), Niger State. Yet, despite their best efforts, villagers still prefer home treatments or travel long distances for healthcare due to the fear of a collapsing building and inadequate medical services which keeps them away from the facility.
“Villagers fear patronising the facility for fear of building collapse. Even pregnant women travel kilometres to seek healthcare elsewhere,” Aliyu Ahmed, the facility’s second-in-command, laments.
Kodo PHC, is the only health facility serving surrounding communities like Kaliko and Kanko. It is not a beneficiary of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) limiting its access to essential government funding. With only one Community Health Extension Worker (CHEW) and three volunteers, the facility records an average of just ten patients monthly. Pregnant women often travel an hour to Wushishi town for antenatal care and laboratory tests due to the absence of a labour room, medical equipment, and electricity for storage of essential supplies.
Additionally, the lack of toilets, clean water, and basic furniture further discourages patronage. Due to these challenges, health workers now conduct home visits and door-to-door routine immunisations rather than expecting patients at the facility.
Hajara Achibi, Program Officer at Global Promoters for Community Initiative (GPCI) – a Community-Based Organisation – urges community members to maintain their efforts. She noted that through the Strengthening Community Engagement Accountability Project (SCEAP), repairs were made, leading to the first patient admission after years of abandonment.
According to Dr. Ibrahim Dangana, Commissioner of Niger State Ministry of Primary Healthcare, “the government has not neglected PHCs. However, we need to spend more to bring them up to standard. While the government is ready to renovate PHCs, communities must take ownership and complement government efforts to drive further intervention.”
The poor state of Kodo PHC reflects systemic healthcare disparities, including inadequate staffing, lack of basic infrastructure, and limited funding. Without urgent intervention, the community’s maternal and child health outcomes will remain dire, and government efforts toward PHC revitalisation, under the second pillar of the Health Sector Renewal Plan (2023–2026) will be undermined.
The Kodo community are hereby calling on the government and relevant stakeholders to:
- Urgently expand and renovate the facility.
- Provision of laboratory equipment to ensure pregnant women can access essential tests locally.
- Provide solar powered electricity for improved healthcare service delivery.
- Prioritise the provision of functional water supply and toilet facilities.
- Recruitment of more healthcare personnel to enhance and improve healthcare services.
With the right support for Kodo PHC, we can ensure every woman has access to safe and quality maternal healthcare.